After the End
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: Sometimes the end of the world is just the beginning. Two human sisters navigate a world taken over by Hao, trying only to survive. One will make a choice that will either save them or condemn them. No romance, angst to the max
1. Chapter 1

Star: Okay, new story. This one will be a little bit more OC-centric, so there's your warning. This will also be quite a bit of a darker tone than most of my usual, don't expect a lot of happiness, at least in the beginning. With that out of the way, I own nothing but the plot and my OCs, and I thank my sister, who is five years younger than me and a far better writer than I can ever hope to be, for supplying some of my ideas and allowing herself to be the basis of one of my characters. Enjoy.

"**Reports are coming in of mysterious forces tearing people apart, destroying cars and buildings…"**

"**Some say that there are monsters in the street, what is happening out there?..."**

"**The military is not responding, they have been destroyed…"**

"**The end is nigh! The end is nigh!"**

"**We'll keep broadcasting until… OH MYGOD!"**

"…**."**

The world ended. It was still there, but the world that everyone knew, it was gone. The doomsayers got the date wrong, and no one was prepared. Monsters came out of the sky and killed everyone in their path. Those that survived that first wave found themselves in a world without help, without power and without mercy.

In the early days many of the survivors, those that had managed to hide when the monsters came, committed suicide, either out of grief for the ones they lost, or out of the despair of knowing they didn't know how to survive. Those that chose not to kill themselves found themselves hunted randomly by a group of people they came to know as 'shamans'. Those that were caught were made slaves.

Those that remained learned there were a few rules to follow if they wanted to stay alive. Travel at night so that the shamans can't easily find you and sleep as much as you can during the day. Stock up on non-perishable foods wherever you can. Trust no one, that was the most important thing to remember, because the other people are just as desperate to survive as you are.

%&%&%&%

She stared down at the activity going on around the half-erected house below her. She eased herself into a more comfortable position, squatting down in the bushes so she couldn't be seen. What she would give to just burn the whole place down but, if the rumours were true, the man who lived down there, the one who had unleashed the monsters on the world, was a friend of fire.

There was too much at stake for her to risk something stupid. She stood up and crept softly back through the woods, avoiding the one random clearing that was in the middle of it. She stopped and crouched down when she heard someone approach.

"Nobody has time for Opacho anymore, go away Opacho, we're working…" A diminutive chocolate-skinned child walked into the clearing and sat down on a rock, crossing her arms and pouting unhappily. She'd seen this little one, tagging along behind the leader of the shamans. She shook her head, preparing to move on again when a growl froze her to the spot.

A rangy canine crept into the clearing, mad, hungry eyes fixed on the little girl. She didn't give herself time to think and found a good-sized rock and chucked it at the beast's head. It yelped and shook its head, looking confused. She threw another one and it ran away, yelping unhappily. The little girl looked around, trying to find who'd saved her.

"Thank you!" She called, and then skipped off. The girl shook her head and slid further into the forest. Cute kid, she thought to herself.

%&%&%&%

Opacho wandered back to the forest, clutching an orange in her tiny hands. She hadn't told Hao-sama about what had happened in this forest yesterday, because she had a feeling that whoever had saved her was human. Despite what Hao-sama always said about humans, she didn't harbour any real hatred for them. The humans who were working around the house that Hao-sama was building never seemed nasty to her, just angry at being caught and made to work.

She went to the clearing, sat down and looked around. "Hello?" She called. "You still around? Brought you something." She rolled the orange into the bushes. "You're human, aren't you? Hao-sama say humans are monsters."

"And what do you think?" The raspy, low female voice came from the undergrowth.

"Don't know, you save me, so you can't be much of a monster, right?"

"I think that's a fair analysis." The voice came from a different direction this time.

"I didn't tell Hao-sama you were here." Opacho said. She wanted to see the lady who had helped her.

"Why not?" The voice asked, sounding wary and curious.

"Hao-sama not like humans."

"That I know." A hard, angry edge crept into the voice. "He keeps them though as slaves. You could have had me as a slave."

"Hao-sama might think you too dangerous, might think killing you better." Opacho replied.

"That's very wise of you."

"My name is Opacho, what's yours?" There was silence for a long moment and Opacho wondered if she'd scared off her hidden human.

"Kay, my name is Kay." The voice said quietly, as though unsure why she was still talking to Opacho.

"Are you staying in the woods, Kay?" Opacho asked. Again there was a hesitation in the answer.

"No… a few days more and I will be gone."

"Can I come and talk to you again?" Opacho asked.

"Why would you do that?"

"Nobody pays attention to me anymore. You talk to me, even though you probably shouldn't." Kay was silent again for a small amount of time.

"I will come if you call, but I will not reveal myself to you." Kay finally told her. Opacho noticed that while her voice was kind, it was devoid of any kind of happiness.

"Okay. Will you tell me a story?"

"A story?" soft, gentle, but still no happiness, no laughter in her voice.

"Yes, please?" Opacjo begged.

"Alright, once upon a time…"

%&%&%&%

Kay put her head in her hands and rubbed her face. She stared out into the forest again, hating herself for what she was about to do. She had no choice though, not if she intended to keep her promise. If she couldn't keep her promise, there was no reason for her to stay alive anymore.

"I am fucked up." She said aloud. "This is suicide."

She trekked through the forest, to the clearing and sat down on the rock that Opacho had sat on. She'd spoken to the little girl twice more. She liked kids, which explained why she'd risked getting herself caught by talking to her. It was also that she'd had no one to talk to for some time.

Opacho came into the clearing and stopped, staring in surprise at her. Kay didn't smile, she wasn't sure she knew how to smile anymore, but she tried to appear as non-threatening as she could. "Kay?"

"Yes, I'm Kay." She took a breath, hesitating another moment. This was suicide, but she had no options left. "I need to ask you to do something for me."

"What is that, Kay?" Opacho was far too trusting a child, Kay thought to herself.

"I need you to bring your Hao-sama to me. Tell him I want to make a deal with him." Opacho's big brown eyes widened. "This is urgent, Opacho, please."

"He might kill you."

"If I do not get his help, I am dead anyways." Kay said softly. Opacho stared at her, taking in her weary, desperate appearance.

"I get Hao-sama, stay here."

"Thank you." Kay whispered as Opacho left.

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Star: Review plz!


	2. Chapter 2

Star: I own nothing

(blurb) - thoughts

Hao watched the humans that were tending their small crop fields with boredom and disgust. It wasn't even worth peeking into their minds because all he knew he would find was hatred and despair. Once was enough, and he'd not peeked into their minds since the first days. They were so predictable these humans. If he didn't think they were useful to him in building his new manor and doing all the mundane jobs that were beneath them, he would have just killed them all.

"Hao-sama!" Opacho ran up to him, out of breath, her mind buzzing with excitement and worry. Hao made a point not to read her mind as much as possible, because he knew how uncomfortable it made her.

"What is it, Opacho?" He asked, somewhat impatiently. She was always wanting him to play with her, or read her a story, but he had more important things to do, like figure out where his idiot brother and his friends had hidden themselves from him.

"There's a human in the forest, her name is Kay, she wants to talk to you." This Hao paid attention to. He looked down at Opacho, who was fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Why does she want to talk to me?" He asked.

"She wants to make a deal." Opacho replied. Now, that was intriguing. He'd had humans threaten him, plead with him, try to kill him, but none had been so bold, or so stupid, as to try and make a deal with him.

"Alright, let us go see this human. Bill, Blocken, Kanna, with me." He called to his followers. They followed Opacho into the forest, to a clearing where a young woman waited just at the edge of the forest. She stared them down for a moment and then turned and walked further into the forest. Hao ignored the grumblings of his followers and followed the woman into the forest.

When they finally stopped in was in a small cleared area with a tent and a fire pit set up. The woman was standing in front of the tent, a shotgun in her hands. Hao probed into her thoughts, wary, but intrigued. He found anger, bitterness, but above all a massive amount of self-loathing. He could also detect a hint of madness, but it was somewhat buried beneath everything else.

She threw the gun down at his feet and stared at him, waiting. He took a moment to have a look at the human. She was in need of a bath, her clothes, hands and face streaked with dirt. She was of average height and build, not very interesting to look at and looked to be in her early to mid-twenties. Her face was small, with a delicate nose. Her hair was a medium-brown, falling to her shoulders in faint waves. Her eyes were a dark greyish-blue and they stared at him without feeling in them.

"Opacho says you wish to make a deal with me, human." He said finally.

"I do." She said.

(I hate it)

"And what kind of deal might that be?" Hao asked. She was silent for a long moment, her thoughts at war with one another.

(Need him…kill him…she'll hate me…can't do this…must do this…no other choice left…can't lose her….hush little baby don't say a word, sissy's gonna buy you a mockingbird)

"An exchange." She said at long last. "What you get is two more workers, but ones that will never attempt to run away or murder one of you, ones that will do as you say without complaint."

"Interesting. What makes you think I need that?" She looked at him, expression still completely flat.

"How many of your workers have you had to kill?" She asked in reply. Touche, Hao thought to himself. It was always a fifty-fifty chance that a new slave brought in would eventually try and do something and Hao would have to put them down. "You said this was to be an exchange, what is it you want in return?"

"Only that you save my sister's life." She answered. "She has pneumonia, and I (failed her) can't help her."

"And why should I do that? Why should I not just take you and let her die?" Hao demanded. Her eyes widened just slightly.

(KILL YOU KILL YOU KILL YOU)

"I will kill you." She said, her voice devoid of the rage that screamed in her mind. It was possibly scarier than rage, because she said it as though she were simply telling him she was going for a walk.

"And if I chose to kill you and take her?"

"She'll kill you too, in more inventive ways than I could ever come up with." Hao merely raised an eyebrow at her, unconcerned. Of course his followers had to jump in and interrupt.

"You would not even come close to killing him you stupid girl!" Blocken yelled. "All that would happen is he would kill you."

She turned to look at the little man with the lego body and stared at him for an uncomfortably long time. "I would be dead anyways (nothing left)." She replied. "But, I bet I'd take a good chunk out of him before I go."

"You little bitch!" Blocken screamed, sending a wave of furyiochu at the human. She was blasted back into a tree and slumped, unconscious. Hao turned to regard Blocken with a stern look. The diminutive man's grin faltered.

"Now Blocken, you've just interrupted negotiations. And what was probably one of the most interesting conversations I've had since I took over the world, he thought privately to himself. "Bill, take her to Faust, have him do a full physical on her."

"Yes, Hao-sama." The massive, former football player picked up the woman's limp body and tromped back towards the manor. He then moved to the tent, lifting the flap and stepping inside. The tent was cluttered with a couple of large camping backpacks, a few books, a set of rumpled blankets and another set of blankets wrapped around another girl.

She was younger than her sister, mid to late teens he guessed. Her hair was longer and straight, and a dark strawberry blonde. She had longer facial features than the other one, but their noses were the same. Her skin was pale, made even more so by her sickness and it made the freckles that liberally dotted her skin stand out all the more.

"Kanna, carry her to Faust, tell him she has pneumonia." It would be interesting to see if she would try to kill him if he left her sister, but it was probably far more interesting for him to let them both live. He had Blocken pack up all the two humans' things for him to sort through later; there might be something useful in them.

%&%&%&%

Kay was rudely awoken in the middle of the night by a large hand pressing over her mouth and hands pinning her wrists to the bed she was lying on. She didn't have time to wonder why she was in a bed before a weight pressed down on her stomach, constricting her ability to breathe properly. She protested this action with a guttural, muffled growl.

"You be quiet little bitch, while I teach you what happens when you try to cross Hao-sama." The high-pitched whine of a voice giggled. "If you squirm I will make sure it hurts, but if you're a good little girl and don't fight this will only serve as a warning."

Kay couldn't make out her attacker in the gloom and barely managed to keep herself from flinching when something began to buzz right near her head. It wasn't until she felt pressure on her head and the sensation of hairs falling around her that she realized that the buzzing was a razor and that they were going to shave her head.

She went still as she could and made certain to let out little distressed sounding noises every so often. Not, of course, because she was at all upset, but because if they believed she was, they were more likely to leave it just at taking all her hair and would not try more permanent punishments. It seemed to be working, if their ugly, amused laughter was any indication.

Finally, it seemed to be over. "Let this be a lesson to you." The voice hissed in her ear. "Next time you step out of line, we won't be so nice." With that the weight was removed from her chest and she was released.

She lifted her hands and ran them over her head. Only a short layer of fuzz remained, uneven in some spots. It was a good punishment in theory, if someone wanted to shame a female. Many women were inordinately attached to their hair after all. Unfortunately for Kay's attackers, she was not one of them. She might have smiled in amusement, if she remembered how to smile, or be amused.

She carefully climbed out of the bed she was in and felt around the room. She encountered another bed beside her own, this one occupied. She knew immediately it was her sister, Alyss, who was in the bed. She gently placed her hand on Alyss' head, relieved to feel that it seemed like her fever had already gone down. She found her sister's hand and clasped it in her own.

"I know you might hate me for this," She whispered. "But you have to understand. You are all that I have left in this world, and I can't bear to lose you too. I will endure your hate, so long as it means that you live."

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Star: Review plz!


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing!

(blurb) – thoughts

Hao moved silently through the halls of his manor, intending to check up upon his new human slaves. Opacho tagged along silently behind him. He suspected she had something she wasn't telling him, but he let it go for the moment being.

When he stepped into the infirmary he found the older girl sleeping in a chair with her head on her sister's bed; one eyebrow quirked upwards when he realized that her head had been shaved. Apparently someone had thought to take it upon themselves to humiliate her. He stepped up to her and shook her shoulder roughly.

She was up in an instant, hand balled into a tight fist. She halted at the sight of him, eyes wild and not quite there. Slowly she lowered her fist and he watched with interest as her facial expression smoothed out into a blank mask.

"My apologies (asshole) sir." She said tonelessly. "I'm afraid our time on our own has honed several self-preservation instincts. I will do my best to squash them in the future." The grey-blue eyes stared unblinkingly into his, still challenging although she'd given herself over to him.

"Someone seems to have shaved your head." He informed her.

(Does he think I'm blind?)

"I am aware, sir."

"You don't seem overly concerned." Hao observed.

"My hair was much like this, before…"

(before the end…Armageddon… the monsters won)

"Who was it that shaved you?" Hao demanded.

(What do you care?)

"I do not know." She answered. "It was dark, and I could see no faces. One spoke, but I doubt I'd recognise the voice again."

(You be quiet little bitch…)

Hao recognised the voice from her thoughts and growled inwardly. There were a few of his followers who were getting a little too arrogant for his liking, but he'd have to deal with them later. Shaving the head of one insignificant slave was hardly cause to punish anyone.

"The doctor will have a look at you and then you will start work." Hao commanded. A flicker of worry and panic went through the human's eyes, though her facial expression remained unchanged.

"Sir, it may be best if I was here when my sister wakes, she can be… (pain in the ass…stubborn as hell…redhead temper)…difficult." The human said. "It would be for the best if I explained things to her and allowed her to vent herself on me rather than someone else."

"And why would I make that concession?" Hao demanded. She gazed steadily back at him, the madness in her eyes disconcerting.

"Because if she is harmed I will not hesitate to try and kill you, as I explained before." She replied, deathly calm. Her mind was serene too, almost joyful at the thought of an excuse to slaughter him. He felt his eyebrow twitch, but he kept his face as enigmatically friendly as it always was.

"I suppose that would be a bit of an annoyance." He sighed finally. "Very well, but once she is aware of the situation, you go to work."

"Understood, sir." It seemed that the word sir was the only word she would use as a way of showing respect and subservience to him. If he thought it was going to be an issue, he would deal with it later; he had more important things to worry about.

"Come, Opacho." He ordered. The little girl looked at him, and then the human, clearly torn. "I said, come, Opacho." He growled, his tone stern. She pouted, but followed after him, turning to wave at the human, who gave her a small wave in return.

%&%&%&%

Faust waited until he was certain Hao was gone from the room before going to greet his now awake patient. The young woman stared at him as he walked in, face carefully blank, but he could feel the wariness coming off her in waves. He couldn't blame her, he looked more like some evil scientist than a regular doctor.

"Guten morgen." He greeted her in his soft, whispery voice. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Slight headache, but I did get thrown into a tree." It might have been a joke, except for the dead tone it was spoken in.

"True, true." Faust agreed. "I would like to give you a check-up, make sure everything is working properly. What is your name?"

"Kay." Faust nodded his head and took a small penlight from his coat pocket.

"If you will just hold still, please." He shone the light in her eyes, nodding his head in satisfaction at the pupil response. He took the stethoscope from around his neck and pressed it against her back. "Breathe deeply, please." She did as she was asked and he was gratified to hear nothing wrong with her lungs. "What is your sister's name?"

"Alyss." Kay answered.

"You are very brave, to do what you've done."

"No, just very desperate." She replied, glancing at her sleeping sister. "She is all that I have left to tie me to this world."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that she will be fine and will hopefully wake up in the next day or so." He sighed. "I dread the day I can no longer get antibiotics."

"You're different than the rest of them." Kay observed, looking up at him, blank mask cracking just enough to show suspicious interest.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"When you look at me you see a person, not a thing." She answered. Faust smiled slightly at her observation.

"Eliza, please check to make sure there is no one to overhear us." His ghostly wife nodded and did as he asked. Kay stared at him, clearly wondering if he'd gone insane. "What do you know about shamans?"

"Traditional witch doctors, healers, religious leaders in primitive societies." Kay answered.

"Not quite. Shamans are those that can communicate and interact with the spirits of the departed." She didn't so much as bat an eyelash at his words.

"Is that why some people saw monsters the day the world ended and some didn't?"

"That is correct. You are quite bright." Faust smiled. "The reason I am different is because I do not actually hold to the belief that regular humans, non-shamans, should be destroyed. I came here on the request of another, one who I call a leader. He asked that I come to Hao, telling him that I wished to be a part of his world, in order to make certain the humans being kept here were not completely abused. And indeed I am the one who has convinced him that the slaves need proper nutrition if they are to work well and full bellies would lead to less resentment." Faust paused and then leaned close to whisper. "I wait for the moment when the others, shamans who have hidden themselves away to avoid Hao, come to try and free the humans here."

"I've heard of these other shamans. There were rumours of a safe haven, somewhere in Japan or China. They are the reason my sister and I are here." Kay explained.

"I should not say where it is." Faust murmured. "I'm sorry. There are many people there and I do not wish them to come to harm."

"I understand." Kay replied. She looked at her sleeping sister, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. Faust was no stranger to the madness that can sometimes come with love, and he saw it in her face, and in her gestures here. He thought Hao had best be careful around this one, whose only tie to life was the life of her sister. Such people, with nothing left to lose, were dangerous. He chuckled softly and she turned slowly to regard him with those unnaturally blank eyes.

"Ser gut, my young friend. Tread softly while you are here, and you will not have to fear for your sister's life." She blinked and nodded her head slowly, unsmiling. Faust turned and went into his office. Surely a deal with the devil had gone down between her and Hao, but he was unsure which was the devil in this case.

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Star: Reviews are much appreciated


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing

(blurb) – thoughts

True to her word, the human did not move from her sister's side. Hao would occasionally check in, to make certain she was not trying to run off, but she merely sat, statue-still, holding onto one of the younger's hands, her thoughts a constant plea for forgiven to the unconscious girl. It was a curious run of thoughts, but he didn't think much of it.

It was early the next morning when he was walking along the halls when he heard another voice speak inside the infirmary. "Why am I in a bed?" He stopped short of the door and decided to listen in as opposed to going in, interested in what the human would have to say to her sister.

"I've done something you might not like." The older sister said quietly, her normally toneless voice holding a nervous tremor.

"Kay, what did you do?" The younger's voice was a stark contrast to her sister's emotionless tones. He could hear the lilt of emotion and passion in the voice, an undercurrent of anger along with a flicker of fear. The elder explained quietly the deal she had made to save her sister's life. There was a moment of silence from the younger, but Hao could feel the fury building in her mind.

"You did that? You idiot!" The younger's voice was a snarl.

"What would have had me do? You were sick, I needed help." More emotion coloured the elder sister's voice now, her tone a desperate plea.

"You should have just let me die then!" The younger declared. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then he heard the sound of an open palm hitting flesh. He probed the emotions in the room, finding one emanating anger, grief and guilt (hush little baby don't say a word, sissy's gonna buy you a mockingbird), the other resentment and guilt as well.

"You know better." The elder sister's voice was soft, cold and tremulous. "You know damned well why I can't do that."

"I'm sorry." The younger said, softer. "It was stupid of me to say that, I was just…"

(furious because you're too goddamn twisted with guilt to consider leaving me behind… but I love you for that too)

"I know." A gentler tone. "Alyss, I need to you to watch your temper while we are here, please. If he… I didn't make a deal with the devil just so you could wind up dead anyways, okay?"

"I'll do my best." The younger's tone was reluctant, but also weary. Hao chose that moment to walk in.

"So, the little sister is awake, that means you go to work." He ordered the older sister.

"Yes sir." She said in reply. She quickly leaned in to kiss her sister on the cheek and got up, giving the younger a stern look.

(please don't bite his head off)

She left and Hao turned his attention to the younger sister. She watched him carefully, eyes the same colour as her sister's, but with a light in them that was absent in the elder's eyes. She watched him like a predator, calculating whether or not the other predator in the room was worth going after, or if she should just let it be.

(hot as hell, too bad he's an asshole)

"Your sister has informed you of the situation, correct?" Hao said, ignoring the broadcasted thought about his apparent 'hotness'.

"Yes…" She almost, but not quite, growled out.

"Yes…?" Hao prompted, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, sir." She ground out through clenched teeth. Hao smirked smugly at her.

(drop-kick that smirk right off your face, let you choke on your teeth)

There was the violence he knew was in every human's heart. It was gratifying, having that proof that everything he'd done was right. Not that he ever doubted it of course.

"Your sister informed me that if anything happened to you that she would do her best to kill me, and you would do the same if anything happened to her, what do you say to that?" Hao asked lightly, as though simply inquiring after the weather.

(no guns here, knife? Strangulation? Poison? Not too quick, but not too slow, can't let him fight back)

"I would suggest, if you're going to kill anyone, you should kill me." She said after a pause in which she had pondered many different methods of killing someone. "Kay is crazy, sanity's hanging by a thread. You kill me, she'll completely lose it and try to kill you in a fit of rage, which is quite easy to fight off. Me, I'm crazy, yeah, but not the same kind of crazy. I'm the kind of crazy who knows how to be patient and knows how to plan."

"So, how do I know you're not already planning my death?" Hao inquired.

"You don't." The younger sister answered, deathly calm, almost serene. Hao forced himself not to smile. Part of him told him to kill her now, before she became trouble, that was the sensible thing to do. But another part of him was interested. The only thing to keep his mind occupied was the search for his foolish other half, so he was mostly bored. This little human could prove to be a suitable distraction from his boredom. It wasn't like she'd ever get a chance to even get near him after all. Let her have that thought of hope, and when she finally tried to act on it, he'd squash it.

"In any case, once the doctor clears you, you'll go to work, just like your sister." He said dismissively, standing up.

"Yes sir." She growled out to his back as he left the room.

(cocky bastard… hope someone puts a bullet through your eye…hope it's me)

%&%&%&%

Kay was given a white t-shirt and a pair of grey cotton pants to wear and then put to work washing the hallway floors. She, in fact, didn't mind household chores. They gave her a chance to turn her mind off, due to the repetitive nature of them. She hadn't had much time to just not think about things, and it was something of a relief to do so now.

She was on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor, and with each slow circle of the cloth her mind calmed a little bit more and she relaxed into the work. That is, until something jumped up onto her back, latching its arms around her neck and letting out a delighted crow

"Kay!"

Kay forced her muscles to lock up, fighting the instinctive urge to take whatever was attacking her and dash it against the nearest wall. It's Opacho, she told herself silently, we don't hurt children. She waited until she'd calmed down enough and then spoke.

"Hello, miss." Opacho slid off her back and stood, hands on her little hips, pouting.

"Not miss, Opacho." She demanded.

"As you wish." She felt a pang of nostalgia for the unintended quote. Opacho studied her face, still pouting.

"You not like to see me?" She asked.

"I like to see you." Kay replied, her face softening. "Why do you think I don't like to see you?"

"You no smile." Opacho pointed out. Kay blinked slowly, feeling the old grief pull at her heart. It was a familiar ache, one she no longer knew how it was to live without.

"I have forgotten how to smile." She told Opacho. "Just as I've forgotten how to be happy."

"How?" Opacho asked, her voice full of childish curiosity. To be that young and innocent again, Kay thought wistfully.

"Sometimes well people go through terrible, sad things, they lose the ability to be happy, because what they lost took that happiness when they left." Kay explained.

"Will it ever come back?" Opacho asked, looking sad.

"I don't know." Kay said gently. "It's been a year now, and it still hasn't come back. Maybe it won't, maybe it will." Opacho seemed to mull that over for a moment, her little face serious. She then brightened.

"Tell me story!" She demanded.

"I am working, Opacho." Kay reminded her.

"So? I the boss, you have to obey me." Opacho ordered, hands on her hips once more. If Kay knew how to laugh, she might have at the sight.

"Alright, you are the boss." She agreed. She put down her cloth and sat up against the wall, a little surprised when Opacho immediately crawled into her lap. The child was too trusting, she decided. "Now, what kind of story would you like today?"

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Star: Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing

Kay could sleep. There was a multitude of reasons for this; number one being the fact that she hadn't slept well since the end of the world. There was also the fact that she and her sister had made themselves nocturnal, as it was easier to hide from other people under the cover of darkness. The most important reason though was that Alyss was not there and she wasn't making sure she was safe.

She wasn't the only one awake. She could hear whispers from somewhere else in the communal sleeping area for the humans, for the slaves, she reminded herself. There was a girlish giggle, only partially quieted and then the soft sound of bodies moving against each other and muffled sounds of pleasure. She closed her eyes and made an effort to block out the noises.

Telling Alyss about what she'd done had gone better than she'd expected. Of course, she didn't know what Alyss had said to their new master after she'd left, but Alyss wasn't dead, so it either couldn't have been too bad, or the devil didn't take her seriously. If it was the latter Kay would have to question his intelligence.

She opened her eyes, staring up at the dark ceiling. They could do worse than this place. The shamans didn't seem too inclined to abuse the slaves under their care, and the food was decent enough. Her fellow prisoners, those that had been there awhile anyways, didn't seem overly concerned about their fates anymore and went about their business obediently.

Alyss would call them sheep, though hopefully not out loud. She would have to watch her younger sister closely, try to avert any explosions of temper, as she was sometimes prone to. The sounds of the mating couple finally died away and all was silent except for the sounds of the nighttime. Kay willed herself to relax and drift off to sleep.

%&%&%&%&%

Alyss tapped her fingers together, staring out the window at the rising sun. Her mind churned, constantly making and rejecting plans, considering all her options. As much as she hated to admit it, it was probably in her best interest to go along with being a worker here. Although, that meant she could mess with some people's heads, which was always her favourite game.

"That is a rather unnerving smirk, my young friend." She looked up at the doctor, who in her opinion wouldn't be out of place in a slasher film, and smirked wider. "You are going to be an interesting young woman to have around, I think."

"What about you? Working on your patchwork monster?" Alyss asked. She had been informed of the doctor's true loyalties and so felt comfortable making jokes with him. He gave her a creepy smile.

"Almost done, just need a nice blue eye." He teased. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"How long until I'm no longer bedridden?" She asked as the doctor checked her vitals.

"A couple days, we want to make sure you have enough strength to work." Faust replied.

"Either that or you're fattening me up to eat me."

"You have a very macabre sense of humour, my young friend." Faust commented.

"I've always been into the macabre." Alyss replied.

"Considering how calmly you threatened Hao, I'm not surprised." Faust murmured. "Though I admire your courage, you should probably keep the death threats to a minimum."

Alyss scowled darkly, her fierce stare betraying a barely controlled desire for mayhem in her mind. "I will, but not to save my own skin. The only reason I'll allow myself to become someone's bitch," She spat the word out like poison. "is because of my sister, because she doesn't need to be any crazier than she already is."

"I do get the distinct impression that her sanity is rather questionable." Faust agreed. "Can you tell me why that is?"

"We don't talk about it." Alyss replied flatly. "It makes me mad and her mad-crazy. And while I would love to stab that monster in the fucking balls…" She growled softly. "I made a promise, and I'll stand by it, but if he tries to hurt her, all bets are so off."

"I worry if that ever comes to pass." Faust murmured.

"For us?"

"No, for Hao." Faust replied. "He has a habit of underestimating people, and well, you two are, sorry to say it, crazy enough to actually get to him."

"Why thank you." Alyss said, pleased by his assessment. Faust shook his head at her, but didn't say anything else. He knew too well the kind of madness that came with losing everything you'd ever cared about.

%&%&%&%

Hao watched the work being done on the new additions to his mansion. The library, the dining area and the kitchen were already done, but work was still needed on the living quarters. He watched the humans with vague disinterest. It was only coincidence that the new human, the buzz-cut female, was working there today. Hao didn't think much of modern society, or rather what was modern society, ideas on gender roles, and felt that if a woman was strong enough to do the heavy lifting, she should.

If he watched her a little more closely than the others it was simply because of that persistent note of madness imbedded deep in her mind. He didn't need a slave that would snap and go on a killing spree, therefore he would watch her, monitor her mind.

For the moment there wasn't really anything interesting in her mind. In fact, besides thoughts on her work her mind was completely clear, devoid of any thoughts. It was almost as if she'd gone into a meditative state through manual labour. Hao couldn't decide if it was a product of madness, or if there was something to that annoying human saying 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness.'

She looked up from her work, grabbing beams of plywood, and caught him staring. Despite the peaceful quality of her mind her face still retained the dead, cold expression that she had worn since he'd met her in the forest. Her face rarely changed from that default expression, at least when she was looking at him.

She looked away after a moment and continued to work. As she was heading back to grab another beam of plywood, one of the male slaves, one who had a reputation with the women slaves, walked up to her, said something and then reached around to grope her ass.

She whirled around, her face twisted in a frighteningly rage-filled snarl, and punched him straight in the gut. "Ooh," Big Guy Bill, who was watching with him, winced in sympathy. "She's got a nasty left hook." He added with a note of admiration. Hao watched as she said something to the other human, her face still twisted in that hateful expression, and the man all but ran to get away from her.

"Hey!" He called. She looked up and the rage that filled her face fled, the ambiguous, empty expression replacing it once more. "I will not have brawling workers."

"My apologies sir." She replied calmly. "He has made several advances already and my verbal rebukes have done nothing, so I felt a physical indication of my displeasure might serve better to deter him."

"I think the only way you could have made your annoyance clearer would have been to kick him in the balls." Bill huffed out a laugh. She craned her neck to look up at him, blinking rapidly a couple times.

"That was my next course of action." She said slowly. Bill guffawed and she twitched, as though expecting him to try and attack her. "Forgive me, but I do have work to do." She pointed out, then turned and walked back to the pile of plywood to grab another beam.

"I'm guessing she's the one Blocken was bragging about 'teaching a lesson'." Bill drawled, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Hm, yes." Hao said without much interest.

"You gonna do something about that?" Bill asked.

"Action over one single slave sends the wrong message. He'll slip up sooner or later and I will make an example of him."

"Sounds like a good plan." Bill agreed. "She's a little spitfire, isn't she?" he said, gesturing towards the woman, who was working away again.

"Hm. You think she could be trouble?" Hao inquired.

"Against you? Naw. She might be trouble for some of the other humans though if they don't take the hints. And judging by how protective she is of her sister, they'd better watch out about trying to come on to her too." Bill replied. "Hear the little one's quite the character too."

"She's certainly interesting." Hao said vaguely. "Enough talk of them, they're only two more humans, they're nothing special, so don't go treating them as such."

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Star: Reviews are much loved.


	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing

(blurb) –thoughts

Hao listened vaguely as Opacho babbled happily to the raggedy stuffed lion that he'd given her. It had been among the possessions of the two human girls and he thought that it was better put to use for Opacho's enjoyment than simply burned or thrown out. Opacho seemed to appreciate the gesture, though he wished she'd allowed him to clean the thing before taking it.

"Lions go rawr, and they eat zebras and gazelles and buffalo…" Opacho rambled on, skipping along beside Hao as he walked through the grounds, seeing how everything was running. "And they… Kay! Kay, look what I got."

Hao looked up as Opacho took off. His eye twitched as the little girl ran up to the human, Kay, eager to show her the new toy. He caught a brief flicker-flick of memories from the human, throwing the stuffed animal, playing with it, cuddling it in bed, holding it while she cried. He marched up, wondering if this was what it would take to snap her shredded sanity.

Kay, however, simply put down the basket of laundry she was holding and knelt to get a better look. There was sadness in her face as she touched the stuffed animal. "His name is Simba." She told Opacho solemnly. "And he's not just a toy, he's a very brave guardian. Keep him with you and he'll fight off all your nightmares, and he'll listen when you need someone just to talk to. Be careful with his tail, it's not that strong anymore and you don't want to tear him. If you love him, he'll love you back, that I can promise you."

"Okay, Kay." Opacho said. She began to walk back to Hao, her little face scrunched up in thought. She halted and then ran back to Kay, holding the toy up to her. Kay looked at her in surprise and confusion. "You need him more than me." Opacho declared. Kay took the toy from her gently.

"Thank you, Opacho."

(Who taught you to be so kind?)

Opacho skipped back to Hao, beaming up at him. Hao thought briefly that he should talk to her about who she made her friends, but it would have to come later, he was busy now. He looked up at Kay, who petted the stuffed toy fondly and then placed him in the laundry basket, set up so that it looked like it was watching her work.

%&%&%&%&%

Big Guy Bill meandered through the hallways of their half-finished house. He wasn't sure where he was going or what he was doing, but it was nice to just wander and not have to worry about killing someone or someone trying to kill him. He perked up at the sound of a feminine sounding voice singing low and soft nearby.

"See the stone set in your eye, see the thorn twist in your side, I wait for you. Sleight of hand and twist of fate, on a bed of nails she makes me wait, and I wait, without you."

Bill took a breath and joined in on the chorus, ambling curiously towards the sound. "With or without you, with or without you." He turned the corner and found the young woman, the one that had struck a deal with Hao and then punched another human the other day, staring at him, having stopped singing. "I don't remember the next verse." He admitted. She stared at him, blue eyes wary, as though she suspected him of trying to get her into trouble. "You got good taste in music, though I think it's a little before your time, how old are you anyways? Twenty?"

"Twenty five, sir." She answered.

"So who showed you the U2?" Her lips thinned, making her look slightly angry.

"My father, sir."

"he has good taste then." Bill said without thinking.

"Yes, he did." Her jaw clenched.

"I'm sorry." Bill said lamely, realizing his mistake. A flash of rage briefly lit her dull eyes and he saw the insanity in them in that moment. "So, uh, what other bands you like besides U2?" She carried on sweeping the hallway, looking away from him.

"Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Beatles, a lot of stuff from the seventies and eighties." She answered while working. "Not to be rude, sir, but I am trying to work." She added.

"Yeah, I see that." Bill replied. "I'm Bill, what is your name?"

"Kay." She answered shortly.

"Alright, Kay, I'll let you get back to your work, sorry for disturbing you." Bill said, heading off. As he was rounding the corner he heard her speak one more time.

"Thank you for acting like a decent human being."

%&%&%&%&%

The younger female was to start working today, Hao reminded himself, then mentally smacked himself for doing so. It was just because the older sister had willingly given up their freedom in exchange for their lives that he was so interested. They were no different from the rest of them.

Although, what was the most fascinating thing for him was the fact that Kay had chosen a path that might have gotten her killed, rather than just leave her sister to die. It was what he would have expected her to do, after all, humans didn't care about anyone but themselves and would kill their own mothers if it was for their own gain, that was his opinion on the matter.

The younger sister, her name was Alyss, at least that's what he thought, came out of the house and was handed a hoe. They were starting on the crops needed to feed the residents of the household, it was spring after all, and they could no longer rely on the disgusting prepared foods that the humans had grown so fond of.

The same human male that had been harassing Kay a few days ago was working alongside Alyss, and obviously was trying to flirt with her.

(Keep going boy, you're digging your grave)

Hao felt a corner of his mouth quirk up slightly at the annoyed thought pattern from the little redhead. She had a more manic violence about her and he would be surprised if she did not attempt to hurt the flirting human if he didn't back off. As it was, she was watching the flirter with barely concealed contempt at his flirting technique.

He moved close enough to be able to hear her if she spoke, thinking it would be entertaining enough to alleviate his boredom temporarily. The male human decided that he was getting nowhere with just his words and reached out to touch Alyss. She smacked his hand away, staring at him with a dead, blank, frightening stare.

(Come on asshole give me an excuse)

The foolish boy tried for another grab, still talking to Alyss. Alyss retaliated this time by turning and grabbing the human male by the balls. The human's eyes widened comically and his face went ash white as he let out a high-pitched squeak of a whine.

"If you touch me, or if you touch my sister, because I know you've been trying, I will carve your testicles off with a rusty, dull knife, and then feed them to you." Her voice was almost pleasant, as though she were merely commenting about the weather. The human male looked like he would have pissed himself if she didn't have such a tight hold on his manhood.

"I'm not certain why you want to keep this one around, Hao-sama." Hao turned and raised an eyebrow at Kanna. "She is obviously of a violent nature."

"Are you concerned that she, a powerless human, would be able to harm one of us?" He asked her in a friendly tone. "Are you saying that you do not trust my judgement?"

"No, of course not." Kanna replied calmly. "I'm just not so sure what your interest in them is."

"Interest? My only interest in them is that they are two more servants and a little less work to be done." Hao replied, his tone warning.

"As you say." Kanna's tone suggested she didn't quite believe him.

Hao turned back in time to see the human male stagger away, choosing a spot in the field away from Alyss. Alyss smirked and turned back to her work, but not before locking eyes with Hao for a brief moment.

(Better watch out for me asshole you'll never see me coming)

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	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing

"You need to at least try to keep your temper." Kay whispered softly. Alyss shifted against her. They shared Kay's narrow cot. It was uncomfortable, but Kay hated that Alyss might be separated from her and endured it; she'd dealt with worse.

"You're one to talk." Alyss scoffed. "Heard you already punched him, in front of the big Kahuna as well."

"Well…" Kay reluctantly admitted that she had a point. "Don't make a habit of it. And don't give him that death stare of yours every time he looks at you, still creeps me out, I can't imagine what he might think of it."

"Could be fun." Alyss said dismissively, yawning. Kay sighed. "Fine, fine, you're such a worrywart, I mean you threatened his life, I threatened his life and he's done nothing, he'd probably just find me amusing."

"I'd rather not take the chance." Kay told her. Alyss sighed dramatically. "I know this is hard for you, but the other option was just too hard for me to bear."

"I know. Suppose it's not so bad here, no more worrying about where our next meal is, where we're going to sleep next and if we're going to have to defend ourselves from other survivors."

"See, that's the spirit." Kay chuckled quietly. "And you're clever, more clever than I can ever hope to be. You keep your eyes and ears open and we might just escape from this place."

"Maybe." Alyss agreed, though she sounded doubtful. She yawned again.

"Go to sleep." Kay whispered, kissing the top of Alyss' head. Alyss fell asleep not long after that. Kay however stayed awake, every little sound seemed like an enemy to her, conspiring to take her away again. It was paranoid thinking, and as a student of psychiatry, she knew that it wasn't healthy, but she couldn't help it. She kept her lonely vigil through the night, arms wrapped tight around her sleeping sister.

%&%&%&%&%

Bill looked out at the scene before him and cocked his head. It was cute, but he wasn't sure if he should be worried, or amused. Opacho was sitting in Kay's lap on the grass, a laundry basket by her side, Kay speaking to her in a soft voice. Bill thought she might have been telling her a story.

"What's going on out here?" He asked, striding on up to them.

"Kay telling story." Opacho replied happily.

"Shouldn't she be working?" Bill asked, looking at Kay. Kay stared back at him levelly.

"The little miss ordered a story to be told, what else am I to do but obey?" She asked in reply. Bill chuckled softly, it was a good answer, borderline insubordinate tone, but no one could punish her for obeying an order, even if it came from a tiny child. "So the evil Ursula came up with a new plan, to make sure Ariel wouldn't get that kiss…" she continued on.

"Don't mind if I sit and listen, do you?" Kay looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"It is not my place to tell you what you can and cannot do, sir." She replied evenly. Bill sat and listened to her tell the Disney version of the Little Mermaid to Opacho. Opacho had never seen any of the Disney films, Hao-sama having kept her away from the human world as much as possible. As one who'd grown up watching the Disney movies and being enchanted by them, Bill thought that was a little sad, that she'd never get to experience that magic.

It was interesting to listen to Kay, because she put on different voices for the different characters and supplied different tones for different scenes. She never expressed any kind of happiness, showed any smiles, though her face looked peaceful, if not tired. There were heavy dark circles around her eyes, as though she had not slept in days.

She finished the tale and allowed Opacho to hug her before going back to her work. "Why don't you smile at Opacho? You seemed to be enjoying the storytelling."

"I have not been able to smile since the world ended." She replied, folding the dried laundry into the hamper. "I've lost the ability to feel happiness."

"Apparently also the ability to sleep." Bill joked. He liked the small woman, though he knew he shouldn't, but it was hard not to when she had wonderful taste in music and a soft spot for children. Kay sighed and shook her head.

"Sleep only brings nightmares." She informed him. "I avoid it as much as possible, sir."

"I suppose that makes sense." Bill scratched at his neck. "Don't call me sir, it sounds weird."

"And what would you have me call you then?" She asked him, looking up at him with wary blue-grey eyes.

"Bill." She blinked rapidly a couple times at that, her gaze sharpening and then settling into a muddled look of confusion.

"You confuse me." She said bluntly. "Why are you here?"

"Hao-sama saved my life, gave me new purpose." Bill replied. Kay stared at him silently for a long moment.

"I suppose it's not my place to question your motives." She finally said emotionlessly, turning back to her work. Bill frowned slightly, not liking the thread of guilt that churned his stomach. He walked away, leaving her alone.

%&%&%&%

Hao was disturbed from his contemplation of how to find his brother, for the hundredth time this week, by a polite cough. He opened his eye, expecting to see one of his followers, but instead he found himself looking into the expressionless face of Kay. He sat up and raised an eyebrow at her, noting that she looked uneasy about something.

(can't believe I'm doing this shouldn't bother but what if he does hurt someone)

"What do you want? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I would like to speak to you a moment about a matter of great importance, sir." She said carefully.

"I highly doubt it's that important, but very well, I will indulge you." He replied haughtily.

"It's the new worker you brought in about a week ago, sir." She explained. "The tall 30-some-odd-year old man with floppy brown hair, glasses and pockmarked face?"

"I do remember my slaves' faces." Hao snapped, feeling irked.

"Well, I was not certain." She said, apparently unruffled. "I believe he might be dangerous, sir." Hao looked at her with interest now.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" He demanded.

"He exhibits many characteristics of sociopathy." She replied.

"And you are an expert?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I would have been, if I'd been able to finish my studies to become a psychiatrist, sir." She replied. "No, if you must know my qualifications my father worked in an institute for the criminally insane. When he deemed me old enough, and showed interest in his work he sometimes took me to his place of employment and taught me many things. I can list for you the reasons I believe this man to be a sociopath."

"Go on." Hao said, amused and intrigued.

"I have observed him at work and he works as though he were doing the work a favour by doing it, an inflated ego is one sign of a sociopath."

"Ego is hardly uncommon." Hao countered.

"Yes, but there's more, he looks on other people as though they aren't real, which is another trait, and he only exhibits feigned emotions, shallow emotional responses are another sign of sociopathy. But, the biggest tell that I've seen is this… he caught a mouse one night, when everyone else was asleep, and I heard him torturing it." She listed each of her observations with a detached, clinical air.

"And you think somehow that he is a threat?" Hao asked.

"My dad worked with men like that (Never forget your patients are killers Kay even when you're trying to help them), if left to their own devices they do horrible things. Some of them are sex offenders, others are serial killers. They feel no empathy, don't necessarily recognise the world around them as being real and they tend to get off on hurting things. Yes, sir, I do believe he is a threat." She answered.

"A threat to you perhaps, not a threat to me, what could one crazy human possibly do against my power?" He smirked at her. "Go back to your work now." Her eyes narrowed for a moment and then she turned and walked away.

(fine if you don't want to listen hope he puts a knife through your skull)

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	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing

Hao didn't think much of Kay's warning to him. One human, however mental, could do nothing against him. For fun one day he decided to have them working on the fields together, and purposely put him next to her hoeing and weeding the crops. The glare he felt aimed at his back when he passed them told him she knew exactly what he had done.

He meandered through the rows, surveying the hard work being done. There wasn't much growing yet, besides weeds. He walked back along the rows and saw Opacho come out of the house, look around, spot him and start to run towards him.

It happened in an instant. The man that Kay had warned him about swung around as Opacho ran closer, lifting his hoe up in the air. Hao felt like he was moving in slow motion, summoning the Spirit of Fire, but Kay moved quicker.

All he felt was a spike of pure rage from Kay as she spun, slamming her hoe into the side of the sociopaths head. He fell to the ground, stunned. Kay lifted the hoe over her head again and brought it down, slamming the sharp edge of it into the downed man's temple. Blood spattered up, marking her clothes and face.

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Opacho ran screaming into Hao's arms. Hao walked with her up to Kay, who was still standing, holding the hoe, which was still buried in the man's skull. She was breathing heavily, the heavy rage in her mind winding down into something more scattered.

"He's dead, you can let go now." He ordered. She looked at him and he saw that her pupils had shrunk down into pinpricks, giving her an insane look.

"I couldn't save her." She said, tone devoid of emotion.

"What are you talking about, of course you did." Hao said impatiently.

"I'm fine, Kay, see?" Opacho added.

Kay just stared right through the pair of them, like she wasn't even seeing them. "I couldn't save her, and it's your fault."

"What is she talking about?" Hao asked no one in particular. The rage that he'd felt before was building in Kay's mind, but this time it was punctuated by that thread of madness that was always lurking beneath the surface.

"It's your fault she's dead, you killed her." She lifted the hoe, madness gleaming in her eyes. "YOU KILLED HER!"

(dead dead all dead no one left couldn't save them hush little baby don't say a word sissy's gonna buy you a mockingbird killed her I'LL KILL YOU)

Kay lurched a step forward, lips curled back in a hideous snarl, brandishing her hoe. Bill moved up behind her and whacked her on the back of her head, knocking her out. "Thank you Bill." Hao said. "Take her to Faust, tell him to have her tied down until she wakes properly."

Bill nodded, picking up Kay's limp body and carrying her off. "Hao-sama, I think you should consider getting rid of her now." Blocken suggested. Hao eyed the small man and raised an eyebrow at him. "Clearly she is mentally unhinged."

"We'll see. I lose her, I lose two of the most willing and competent workers I have." Hao replied. "Go find her sister, bring her to the infirmary, I have questions for her. And somebody get rid of that body."

He strode off without waiting to see if his orders would be obeyed. He went to the infirmary, getting there just as Faust was finishing strapping her to the bed. "How is she?" He asked, placing Opacho on the ground. He pretended not to see Opacho immediately scramble up onto the bed next to Kay.

"I'm not sure what you want me to tell you, Hao-sama. She has a small bump on the head, but as for her mental condition, she'd have to be awake for that." The doctor explained.

"Do you have any idea what might have caused the mental breakdown in the first place?" Hao demanded.

"The human psyche is still something we don't fully understand, it could have been any number of triggers."

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Alyss ran in and went over to Kay. "Why the hell is she tied down?"

"Because she killed a man who was trying to kill Opacho and then turned on me in a crazed rage." Hao informed her coolly. "Can you think why that is?"

"She's killed people before, never reacted like that." Alyss mumbled. "One too many, maybe."

"I did hear her say that she avoids sleeping, and she's been quite anxious over that guy she just killed being here." Bill interjected.

"That would be a good combination to prompt a mental breakdown." Faust agreed. Alyss shrugged impassively.

(wish I'd been there to see it)

_Bloodthirsty little thing_, Hao thought to himself. "You can go back to your duties now." He said, impatiently waving her off. "Opacho, let's go." Opacho reluctantly hopped off the bed and followed Hao out.

%&%&%&%

Faust was puttering around his infirmary, doing inventory on the medicines he did have and ones that he would need found soon when Kay attempted to sit up. "Why am I tied down?" She asked calmly, when she saw him.

"You were brandishing a hoe at Hao." Faust reminded her.

"Ah, I was wondering if that was real or not." She shifted slightly. "Is Opacho alright?" She asked, suddenly looking terrified.

"Opacho is fine, thanks to you." She settled back with a sigh of relief. "And how do you feel? Not like randomly killing someone I hope."

"No, I feel fine."

"Can you explain to me then why you felt the need to threaten me the other day then?" Hao asked, striding into the room. Faust watched Kay's eyes narrow for an instant and then her expression smoothed over into ambiguity again.

"Stress does funny things to the mind, sir. I confess I don't remember much beyond braining the sociopath." She replied evenly. "If I had to take a guess I would say the combination of worry that has been accumulating over the last few days and the fear of seeing Opacho nearly get killed triggered a flashback reaction and since you are the reason it is only me and my sister left of my family that anger and murderous intent was turned onto you."

"You said I killed her, who is 'she'?" Hao asked. Faust saw the tightening of Kay's jaw.

"I plead the fifth." She growled.

"I could order you." Hao snarled in reply.

"You would potentially throw me back into a mental breakdown, would you care to risk that, sir?" She snapped. "Besides, why do you care what happened to me, just another human, aren't I?"

Faust knew she had Hao trapped there, and by his expression, Hao knew it too. Opacho tiptoed around Hao and scrambled up onto the bed. Kay's expression softened as Opacho undid the straps binding her arms.

"Opacho…" Hao warned.

"Not to worry sir, no matter how mad I might be, I could never bring myself to harm a child." Kay said softly. Faust heard the implied 'you wouldn't be so lucky' in her voice. Opacho hugged her around the neck.

"Thank you for saving me from the bad man." Opacho said.

"Well, I'd be a very bad person if I just stood by and watched, wouldn't I?" Kay said. "Hopefully there won't be any more crazies for you to worry about from now on." She gave Hao a pointed look.

"Perhaps in the future I would be wise to listen, if only to avoid looking like a fool." Hao said reluctantly.

"I would like to prescribe the young lady some sleeping pills." Faust piped up. "Regular sleep will decrease the likelihood of meltdowns." He explained.

"If that is what the doctor feels is best." Hao said without much interest. "Come, Opacho." Opacho gave Kay one last hug and then ran after Hao. Faust found a bottle of sleeping pills and gave them to Kay.

"How do you know I won't abuse these?" She asked him.

"Because you care too much about your sister to leave her behind." Faust answered. "These will offer you a dreamless sleep. If they do not work, we can try something stronger."

"Thank you." Kay said softly, closing her fist tightly over the pill bottle.

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	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing

Bill listened to Blocken bitch about Hao-sama not just killing Kay. He wasn't sure what Blocken's problem with her was and decided to try and find out. "You're constantly bitching about this girl, what's your problem?" He drawled.

"Haven't you noticed that she only ever calls us sir, or ma'am or miss, and only because she wants to. There's no fear in her, she's making fun of us." Blocken whined. "Why can't Hao-sama at least punish her for showing proper respect?"

"Maybe because that would mean he cares?" Bill suggested with a shrug. "Honestly she does the work, does it well and she don't make waves. Personally I don't care if she respects me or not, so long as the work gets done."

"She'll kill someone, you saw what she did those weeks ago, and I heard she's killed other people." Blocken huffed. "Maybe she's just biding her time."

"I've heard that too." Bill said slowly. "Anyways, shouldn't you be working in that library of yours? Thought it was a big mess?"

"I'm getting to it." Blocken snapped, but wandered off all the same, muttering petulantly to himself. Bill shook his head and wandered off as well. He figured Kay was too smart to try and kill any of the shamans, and besides, she'd only killed the guy because he'd threatened Opacho. He supposed he had a bit of a special attachment to Kay, seeing as he'd seek her out if he couldn't remember a song lyric, and he liked to listen to her tell Opacho stories, but he always thought he had a rational head on his shoulder, so his defence of her wasn't all just sentimental, he truly believed she wasn't a threat.

He didn't get too far before he heard angry cursing and the thuds of someone being repeatedly struck. He rounded a corner and found the younger of the two woman, Alyss, striking another human, the same one that kept harassing Kay and Alyss, trying to flirt and touch them.

He was impressed by Alyss' command of curses and by her quick, hard hits that landed on the man's ribs, face and stomach in rapid succession. Reluctantly he knew he should break up the fight and he moved forward, grabbing onto Alyss' collar and hauling her back. She reacted to this new attack by hissing like an enraged feline and twisting in his grip, trying to rake at his arms with long fingernails.

"Whoa there, li'l bit, just don't want you killing him, that's all." He said as the bruised and bleeding male made his escape. She responded with a string of curses, not at him, but at the world in general; when she ran out of curses she glared up at him balefully, her face nearly as red as her hair in rage. "Let's go find your sister." He suggested.

"Kitchen." Alyss growled. Bill kept a hand on her shoulder as they moved through.

"You been getting into it with a lot of people, li'l bit." Bill commented.

"Yeah well, if people wouldn't be so stupid I wouldn't have to." Alyss snapped. It wasn't just physical fighting, her tongue was very sharp and she knew how to use it as well. Fiesty little thing, Bill thought with a twinge of amusement. "That asshole in particular. I don't think anyone would miss him if he were dead." Add morbid to being feisty.

He looked into the kitchen and found Kay drying dishes. He beckoned to her and she abandoned her task, following him out into the hall. "What can I do for you, Bill?" He imagined that her tone was a little friendlier when talking to him, but it was just as likely wishful thinking. He wasn't sure whether she tolerated his questions and his singing along with her or whether she genuinely liked him being around.

"Found Alyss trying to beat one of the others to a pulp." Bill explained.

"Alysson." Kay sighed.

"Kaylyn." Alyss sighed back in mockery. "I have a good excuse this time."

"Oh?"

"He was groping me and he wouldn't stop." Alyss explained. Bill saw the way Kay's eyes narrow and spark with controlled rage for a moment before she composed herself.

"That's a worrying progression." She murmured finally.

"What do you mean?" Bill asked.

"He's progressed from flirting and innocent touches to inappropriate behaviour such as groping and lewd suggestions. The typical pattern says that he will move from harassment to outright sexual assault."

"You mean he could rape someone?" Bill asked.

"Precisely." Kay. "I know of at least three other women who have had to fight off his advances in the last week or so."

"You should go to Hao-sama." Bill advised.

"Why? This isn't going to be something that's going to affect him or his, it's just one of us humans that's going to get hurt."

"I think Hao-sama will care." Bill said. The look Kay gave him told him she highly doubted it. Bill wasn't so sure himself, but he thought that Hao-sama wouldn't be one to stand for someone being so violated, even if they were only one of the humans.

"I'll talk to the other women, get a better picture of what he's been doing." Kay said finally. "It'll look better if I go to Hao-sama with a lot of evidence. You, stop trying to beat peoples' faces in." She told Alyss sternly before going back to the kitchen.

"You're not going to listen, are you?" Bill asked.

"When have I ever listened to her?"

%&%&%&%

Hao tapped his finger on his desk and raised one eyebrow at Bill, pointedly ignoring Kay, who was standing with him. "Ah, Hao-sama, Kay has something she needs to tell you." Bill said, looking nervous. Hao turned his attention, and his smirk, on Kay, who looked both nervous and defiant.

"You remember the man that both my sister and I came to blows with because he would not leave us alone." She started.

"I am… aware of him." Hao replied with a cultivated amount of boredom in his voice.

"He has progressed to more serious attempts at getting a female to lie with him." Hao's eyebrow quirked higher. "In the last two weeks seven individual females have been subjected to his lewd suggestions on what they could do together and they only stopped when they managed to get away from him. Thirteen females have reported that he's touched them inappropriately at least once, several with repeat incidences. It appears that neither threats nor violence are doing much to deter him anymore. The next logical step in the pattern would be that he would start sexually assaulting women."

"And why are you telling me?" Hao demanded.

"Because you are the only law in this, and since we women are losing the ability to stop him, the logical idea would be to go to the law for help." Kay replied.

"And why would I help?" Hao demanded contemptuously. "He is no danger to me."

"Because I still have hope that there's a shred of human decency left in you." She informed him bluntly, staring steadily into his eyes, challenging him. Hao felt himself bristle.

"You are treading a very fine line." He growled.

"I am aware." She replied evenly.

(I just don't care)

"Get out." He snapped, waving her off. She stared at him for a long moment more and then left. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you favour her, Bill." He said as Bill went to leave.

"She's interesting, is all." Bill replied, looking nervous. "Not like the others, she's not afraid of me, she's got fire, her and her sister both, you got to admit that."

"Go on Bill." Hao sighed. When Bill left he rubbed at his temples, feeling a headache coming. Bill was right, Kay and Alyss were interesting, if only because they were two sisters who seemed more interested in keeping each other alive than keeping themselves alive.

Kay confused him. On the one hand you had the woman who had, without hesitating, bashed a man's skull in and thought nothing of threatening the life of someone who was far more powerful than she was. But on the other hand she was gentle and kind enough to tell stories to Opacho, and apparently friendly enough to have made an admirer out of Bill.

Alyss was a little simpler to understand. She was angry and fantasized often about ways to kill him. Though fiercely independent, she still deferred to her sister occasionally, and had yet to show any violence towards someone who hadn't attempted violence on her first. He didn't like where his thoughts were headed, though he couldn't seem to make it stop.

The next day the man who Kay had labelled as a potential rapist was dead. The rumour was that he'd attempted to escape, and was killed for his troubles. Judging by the look Kay gave him, she didn't believe a word of it.

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Star: Reviews are much loved


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing

Hao decided it was as good a day as any to check on the progress of his library. He knew Blocken was shirking his duties to make the library presentable, and he also knew that Blocken thought he wouldn't find out. It was time to disperse that sad little fantasy, and perhaps give Blocken the lesson on obedience that had been coming to him for months.

As he walked he became aware that he was being accompanied. He didn't have to look to know it was Kay. "And why are you following me?" He demanded without looking at her.

"I'm not, sir. I was informed there was a spill in the library and I am on-route to go clean it up." She replied evenly.

(since yours seem to be incapable of doing anything themselves)

Hao felt his mouth twitch slightly upwards, but hid it. The two of them walked in silence, except for the random snippets of thoughts that slowly drifted through Kay's mind. He could still feel that madness, pricking like a persistent thorn in her mind. He supposed a more cautious man wouldn't have taken that offer of hers, but then again, if he hadn't, he might not still have Opacho. Strange the way the universe worked.

He stepped into what was supposed to be the library and sighed. There were boxes of books haphazardly stacked around, some books carelessly thrown on dusty shelves to give the semblance of work having been done and bits of garbage on the ground. Blocken scurried to his feet when he saw that it was Hao who had come.

(this is supposed to be a library?)

Hao snuck a look at Kay and saw her looking around with an expression of mingled dismay and disgust on her face. "Blocken, Blocken, I give you one job, and in good faith believe that you will do it well, and I have to say, I'm disappointed."

"It's not an easy job, Hao-sama." Blocken whined. "I've done my best so far." Hao heard Kay let out a very quiet, derisive snort. "You think you could do better, slave?!" Blocken demanded shrilly. Kay gave him a cool look.

"Not my place to say, _sir_." She replied.

(A five year old could do better you incompetent fuck)

"Answer the question." Hao said pleasantly. She looked at him, scowling for a quick second before her face smoothed over again. "Do you think you could do better than he's done in the last two months?"

"I could, definitely." She answered firmly. "I worked in both a public library and in my school's library and helped re-shelve everything after a renovation, it did not take two months to do."

"You little bitch, how dare-"

"Do you think she's right?" Hao interjected. Blocken stared at him. "Your anger seems to suggest defensiveness, do you think that she could do better if she were given your task?"

"Of course not!" Blocken yelped. "This is hard work, and she doesn't know the meaning of that word."

"If you are so certain, then I propose a wager." Hao said with a razor sharp smile. Blocken backed up a step at the sight of it, he knew that it meant something was about to happen. "Since you believe she is lying she should have to take your job for two months, so that we may see if she can or cannot do more than you have. If she cannot, she gets punished. If she does, you get the punishment she would have gotten. Does that sound fair?"

Hao kept his smirk firmly plastered on his face as Blocken's eyes bulged. He had him trapped, if Blocken said no, he was as good as saying that he did think Kay could do better, but if he said yes, then he would be humiliated. Hao didn't have to read Blocken's mind to know where his thoughts were going and where they would end up.

"Alright, she'll never do anything anyways." Blocken agreed.

"In the interest of fairness, since you have had a veritable army of ghost mice to assist you, I will offer one other human assistant…"

"Alyss." Kay said automatically. Blocken glared at her and she just stared back, face void of any expression.

"That's settled. Blocken, go find her sister, and I will find a new task for you." Hao ordered. Blocken scurried out. Kay began to wander about the library, taking in everything. As she passed him he grabbed her arm in a bruising grip. "Do not mistake this for charity." He snarled. "He has needed a lesson in humility sorely, and the opportunity presented itself now to give him that."

"I am but a servant, I only serve, I do not question." Kay replied mildly. "I'm not certain why you feel you must defend your actions to me." Hao released her, suppressing a growl of annoyance at himself. "I do have one concern though, sir." He nodded his head at her to continue. "I fear he might try to sabotage our work."

"I have thought of that." Hao sneered. "I have my own measures in place to make certain he does not." He would get one of the cat spirits that hung around to take up residence in the library, report back to him.

"Thank you, sir."

"Get to work." Hao ordered and headed out of the library.

%&%&%&%

Kay put her hands on her hips and inspected her new domain, calculating the amount of time it would take to make it look presentable. Blocken had left quite the haphazard mess behind him and the first thing on her agenda was getting things cleaned up.

The library was two stories, the second story being essentially a balcony going around three of the four walls of the room, with shelves along those walls. It looked as though the high ceiling was made with potential to make a third floor, just in case. The last of the four walls was dominated by a large window, looking out onto the meadow surrounding the house.

The shelves on the first floor were scattered around, at angles to one another and leaned against the walls. She closed her eyes and tried to envision what she wanted done with the place. Get the shelves in order, yes, leave some space for potential reading areas with comfy chairs, perhaps a children's corner all for Opacho.

"Kay?" Kay opened her eyes to look at her quizzical sister. "What in holy hell is going on?" Kay explained quickly what had happened and waited for whatever her sister had to say about it. Alyss could be quite unpredictable and proved it by cracking up with laughter. "Oh my god, really? We're going to be getting a break from the hard work so that we can help teach that guy a lesson? This is the greatest thing I've ever heard!"

"I'm glad you find it amusing." Kay said. It was pretty amusing, if she thought about it. "First things first is getting this place cleaned up."

"I'll say. Jesus fucking Christ that guy was a slob." Alyss wrinkled her nose, prodding at an apple core left lying on the ground. "If I find any used tissues I'm going to fucking scream." That was a fairly typical Alyss response to a situation.

"Well, go grab some dust cloths and a rubbish bin and we can get started making this place look presentable. We'll probably need a broom and a mop later on too." Kay said thoughtfully.

"All these boxes are books?" Alyss asked, kicking one of the dozens of stacked boxes with her foot.

"Yes." Kay answered shortly. "This place is now our responsibility."

"I really don't know if the head asshole realizes he's just put two massive bookworms into a veritable sea of books." Alyss chuckled.

"That's the best kind of person to run a library though." Kay replied. "Now, could you go get some cloths and a bin so we can get started?"

"I suppose I could." Alyss sighed dramatically and wandered off. Kay shook her head and began to pick up the bits of garbage she could find on the ground. It could have been anyone who had been picked to clean up a spill in the library today, anyone at all and they could be in charge of this library now.

Except Kay wasn't so sure of that, being that the rest of the humans were cowed enough by the abilities of the shamans that they probably would have stayed quiet, or lied if Hao had questioned them. No, fate had arranged for one of the few people who actually spoke their minds around Hao to be here. Funny how fate worked.

"There is no coincidence, only the illusion of coincidence." Kay murmured to herself. She thought bitterly that even though she and Alyss were now in a position that was technically higher than their fellow humans, they were still under Hao's control, and subject to his whims. She began to sing to herself as she worked, and Alyss joined in when she came back.

Look down, look down

Don't look them in the eyes

Look down, look down

You're here until you die

Look down, look down

You'll always be a slave

Look down, look down

You're standing in your grave

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Star: The song is the Work Song from the beginning of Les Miserables, which is an amazing play and if you haven't seen the new film adaptation, I highly recommend it because it is beautifully done.


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing

Bill had listened to Blocken bitch about Hao-sama getting the humans to do his work for him, and whine about being punished. Personally, he thought Blocken had it coming, but he didn't say so, figuring he didn't want to start a fight. He just snuck away when he got his chance and meandered over to the library.

He found Alyss and Kay arguing over one of the bookshelves, preparing to move it. "Do you need some help?" He asked.

"No thank you Bill, this is our job and we don't want you getting in trouble." Kay said. Alyss looked at her sister like she was crazy.

"For fuck's sake, let the man help, or we'll be at this all day. He offered, we're not going to get in trouble for that." She snapped. Kay sighed and rolled her eyes, but nodded reluctantly.

"Where do you want me to move them?" Bill asked. Kay and Alyss argued for a few minutes more before deciding they wanted the bookshelves arranged so that they were lengthwise to the window, so that the sun was able to penetrate through the whole room.

"So, you gonna start putting books out now?" Bill asked.

"Not quite yet. We have to sort through what we have, so we're not constantly moving sections of books around." Kay replied vaguely. "It's far more efficient that way. Why, were you looking for a book?"

"Well, whenever you find like an action book, or a spy book or something like that, you let me know." Bill said. "I guess I'll leave you to your work."

"Hey Bill." Alyss looked up at him. "Kay said the big man said he'd have some way of making sure little-asshole Blocken didn't sabotage us. You know what he did?"

"Yeah, there's a little cat spirit on the balcony, sunning itself. The cats are Hao's." Alyss and Kay looked where he was pointing, though it was obvious they could not see it.

"Wish I could see the damned spirits." Alyss muttered. "Hey, one more question."

"Alysson…" Kay said in a warning tone. Alyss shot her older sister a mulish look.

"Is there any spirits that are around us?" Alyss asked.

"No." Bill answered. He heard a sigh from Kay, either relief or disappointment, he couldn't tell. "For the best, to be honest, Hao-sama would have just fed them to Spirit of Fire, to make it stronger."

"Gross." Alyss wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Anyways, thanks Bill."

"You're welcome, li'l bit, Kay." He walked out, feeling happy.

%&%&%&%

Hao decided to see how much work had been done by his new 'librarians' in one day. Opacho, of course, followed alongside him. Whether it was because she wanted to be around him, or she wanted to see Kay, he wasn't sure.

"Why do you like the human so much?" He asked her, the question that had been itching at him for weeks. Opacho looked up at him and her lower lip jutted out in a pout.

"Kay pays attention to me." She explained. "Hao-sama no want to play with Opacho anymore, always say he have no time, he busy. Kay like me bugging her, like telling stories, like me." Hao sighed; he had been neglecting Opacho of late. "Please don't make me stop talking to Kay, Hao-sama, I like her, she nice."

Hao's instinct was to say that Opacho was forbidden to speak with Kay, but that would hurt the tiny girl, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Besides, he obviously hadn't noticed his lack of attention towards her, and if he slipped again, it was beneficial to him that she had someone else she could go for when she was looking for some attention, even if it was a human.

"I will not forbid you from seeing her." He answered, making Opacho nearly collapse in relief. "But mark my words, if she does one thing to harm you-"

"She won't." Opacho chirped confidently. Hao had his own doubts, Kay, after all, was still human, and so at her very core violent and without morals. Whatever made Opacho happy, he supposed, even if he didn't agree with it.

He noted with satisfaction as he stepped into the library that he was clean, and the bookshelves had been arranged in an organized manner. Kay and Alyss were on the floor, pulling books out of one of the many boxes that littered the room.

"I've got one called God is Not Great, what would that be classified as?" Alyss was asking.

"Theology, start a pile for religion." Kay answered, sounding distracted. "Oh, good afternoon, sir."

"I see that not much has been done." Hao said evenly, trying to bait them both. Alyss bristled, but Kay merely gave him a bland look.

"We have only been working a day, sir, we are merely human, after all. And we have accomplished both the cleaning of this library, which was a monumental task in itself, as he seemed to have spilled things multiple times without cleaning them, and we have moved the bookshelves into more appropriate locations, which cannot be done when there are books in them."

"I see, and will I start to see books going up in the next day?" Hao asked.

"No, we would prefer to sort through what we have before attempting to shelve them, saving on time having to move things around and getting a better idea of how to divide the non-fiction into sections." Kay explained.

(something I'm sure the idiot who was working in here wouldn't have done)

"You really are taking this seriously." Hao said with a small amount of surprise.

"Somebody's got to." Alyss muttered, just loud enough for Hao to hear.

"I believe by the terms laid out in the deal, you have indeed surpassed Blocken in work on this library." Hao said, and then smirked wickedly. "But why stop there, why not twist the knife in a little. Let's see what this place looks like in two months with you two working on it."

"If we are to continue working, sir, I have a couple questions for you." Kay said.

"And what are those?" Hao demanded.

"Were you planning on making this a library where people could come in, sit down and read? If so it might be good to bring in some comfy chairs and pillows and such for them to sit on." Kay explained. "Also, we could get some short bookcases and create a kid's corner for Opacho with chairs and stuffed animals."

"Why?"

"Children feel more welcome and more inclined to read if there's objects around that make them feel comfortable. I assume eventually there will be more children running around this household." Kay clarified. "It just makes it a little more fun for them. Most public libraries had a children's corner and storytime."

"Storytime!" Opacho chirped. "I'd like that! Please, Hao-sama, we have to have storytime, storytime is good!"

Hao sighed as Opacho tugged on his arm, looking up at him with pleading eyes. He couldn't say no to her, he never could.

(she's got him wrapped right around her little finger)

He suppressed a scowl at the amused thought from Alyss and smiled at Opacho. "If you want a kid's corner and storytime, you'll get it."

"Kay has to tell stories, Kay best at stories." Opacho ordered. Hao felt a stab of jealousy run through him. Opacho had always thought of him as the best at everything, and now this human… Oh well, it was partly his fault, wasn't it? He'd neglected Opacho, and here was the consequence.

It irked him that there was nothing he could do about it now. If he got rid of Kay, Opacho would be unhappy. If he forbade Opacho from talking to Kay, she would be unhappy. The only thing he could do was try and get back into that spot of Opacho's undying loyalty.

"We'll see what happens once the library is complete." Hao promised. Opacho clapped her hands and bounced happily. Hao couldn't help but smile at her.

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Star: Reviews are much appreciated


	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing

Opacho hurried down the hallways, skipping in happiness as she went. Hao-sama had found some bookshelves for kids, and some chairs and big pillows to add to the children's corner. She weaved around small piles of books that were forming in place of the boxes that had been on the library floor, skipping over to where Alyss and Kay were arguing about the placement of the new shelves.

"We can put the chairs in the corner and have the shelves around them." Alyss said, sounding exasperated.

"No, that'll just look silly." Kay said, sounding just as exasperated. "The shelves should meet at the corner, like the one that we had back home."

"How do you even remember that?" Alyss demanded. "Why would that be important for you to remember?"

"Because I needed some memories of what a normal life was, so I don't go insane." Kay snapped. She turned her head and saw Opacho standing there. Her face softened. "Hello, Opacho, what do you think of your new kid's corner?"

"It's not done yet." Opacho giggled. "You're fighting about how to finish it."

"We're debating." Kay corrected her. "If we were fighting Alyss would be coming at me, claws out and there'd be a lot more swearing." Opacho giggled at her. "Now, since it's your corner of the library, I think you ought to decide how you'd like it to be."

"Make it like the library you talked about." Opacho ordered. "Never been to a real library before."

"What did the head….person do, keep you locked away from the world all your life?" Alyss asked.

"You can swear, Opacho hears swears all the time." Opacho encouraged. "Hao-sama didn't want me infected by humans."

"Funny how he's allowing her to be infected by humans now." Alyss muttered, turning back to her work.

"Alyss, be nice." Kay admonished. "Sorry, Opacho, she's not that fond of children."

"It's not that I'm not fond of children, it's that I have limited patience for them, and therefore do not like to spend a lot of time with them." Alyss argued. "Sorry, Opacho."

"Okay, Kanna doesn't like kids either." Opacho said. "You find books for kids yet?"

"Yes, we have." Kay gestured to a bunch of piles of books. "All those are picture books, all for you."

"Yay!" Opacho crowed and bounced over to the pile of books, as Kay and Alyss moved the bookshelves into place. She found a book with a black cat and a white cat on the front of it and brought it over to Kay. "Read this, please." She said, holding out the book to Kay.

"Hey, Spooky and the Ghost Cat." Alyss commented. "I remember these books. Do you remember, Kay?"

"Yeah, I remember." Kay murmured. She sat down and Opacho immediately crawled into her lap. Alyss wandered off, grumbling about having to do all the work now. Opacho ignored her and settled in as Kay began to read.

%&%&%&%

Hao couldn't believe he was walking around with a box of stuffed toys. The things he did for Opacho, he thought, shaking his head. Still, he couldn't begrudge her, she was after all only a child, and practically his child. He could hear Kay's voice, telling a story to Opacho, in the library as he got close.

He eyed the piles of books everywhere with satisfaction and moved towards the sound of Kay reading. Alyss looked up at him from the box she was sorting, giving him a wary look (what are you looking at asshole) before going back to her work. He found Opacho and Kay sitting together in the newly formed kid's corner, reading a book together.

"And that's the end of that story." Kay finished, closing the book.

"I like Spooky." Opacho said happily.

"I like him too." Kay said. Though she didn't smile, Hao could see the affection in Kay's tired eyes. How she was tired when she was no longer doing anything strenuous Hao did not know, and he wasn't about to ask.

"Opacho, I have something for you." Opacho got up and eagerly bounced up to Hao. Hao put down the box and smiled as she let out a little squeal. She started pulling out stuffed animals, and babbling away, making up stories for each.

"So this is going to be Gumball." Opacho declared, holding up a large purple stuffed hippo. "He's working in the library until he can get a job working with cars, because he likes fixing things." She pulled out a floppy-eared dog. "This is Wags, she loves to read and sometimes forgets she's supposed to be working. And this is Silky," She added, petting a soft, grey cat plush. "She likes kids and wants to be a teacher someday."

Opacho took her new toys over to Kay, who'd gone back to working. "Look, Kay, new toys!" Opacho chirped happily. Hao swallowed the bitter taste of jealousy in his mouth.

"They're lovely Opacho, what do you say to your Hao-sama?" Kay reminded her patiently. Opacho dumped the toys in Kay's arms and flung herself on Hao, hugging him as tight as she could. Hao looked up at Kay, raising one eyebrow. Kay just looked down, petting the toys in her lap.

(He's still her number one he shouldn't worry about that)

"These are all new toys." Kay commented.

"As if I would get toys that some human had touched already." Hao sneered.

"That is wise, as always, sir." Kay replied mildly. "New toys are wonderful, they are so eager to help the kids they now belong to, because that's what toys do, their job is to take care of the kids." Opacho wandered back over to Kay. "But, they could really use someone who knows their stuff already, someone who's been doing the job for many years." Kay looked down, thoughtfully. Hao could see that she was playacting, putting on a show for Opacho. "I think I know just the guy for the job. I will be back in a moment, Opacho, sir."

Hao didn't stop her from leaving. Opacho played with her toys while they waited. Hao could have left, but he was curious as to where Kay's playacting was going. Kay came back, and was carrying the stuffed lion Opacho had given back to her. Hao wrinkled his nose in distaste at the raggedy thing, but Opacho clapped her hands in delight.

"Simba here knows all about books, and I don't know anyone who knows more about making kids happy than him. He'll be our head librarian, teach the others how to be good toys." Kay said softly. She patted the stuffed lion's head.

"But Simba already has a job." Opacho said, frowning softly.

"Yes, but that's his night job." Kay replied. "They don't need sleep like we do."

"Like a guardian spirit!" Opacho crowed, pleased she'd made the connection.

"Well, I'll have to take your word for that." Kay took the stuffed lion and the book she'd been reading, placing the book with its pages open on the top of the shelf, with the toy on top, making it look like it was reading. Opacho giggled and hugged Kay's leg before piling all the rest of the stuffed animals around the book and Kay's toy.

"I'm not certain I approve of your feeding her fantasies." Hao said sternly to Kay.

"Imagination promotes creativity, creativity promotes thinking, thinking promotes intelligence." Kay explained evenly. "Play is how children learn, and how they learn to solve problems. Besides, she's still young. I don't know anyone who grew up, found out Santa wasn't real and was deeply traumatized by that."

"Is that your professional opinion?" Hao said, only half sarcastically. Kay eyed him for a moment.

(answer don't answer he's sort of serious why is that)

"My chosen area of expertise is more adult mental disorders, but due to…my mother's.. career choice, I have been exposed to children from a young age and know quite a bit about them." Kay explained. "The play-pretend games are often favoured by female children and play after a stressful event seems to alleviate the stress in them." She paused. "Giving her toys to play with will also decrease her need to look to others for entertainment, thereby absolving you of some of the duty to keep her busy."

"Hmm." Hao watched Opacho wander around her new library space, testing out the large floor pillows that had been brought in by flopping down on top of them, giggling. "You care about her." He commented.

"You say that as though you expect that I could not possibly care for her." Kay responded in a neutral tone. "I'm not heartless, and it's hard not to love someone as sweet as she is, sir. Now, if you will excuse me, there's a lot more boxes to go through."


	13. Chapter 13

Star: I own nothing

Kay felt comfortable, which meant that she became very paranoid about her position. It was bad enough that Alyss still sassed Hao whenever she could, but Kay found herself relaxing her guard around the house, which was not a good idea, no matter how friendly any of them acted.

"Hello the library!" Bill's voice boomed out. Kay hated that she liked him. He was supposed to be the enemy, but it was hard to remember that when he was so kind and easy-going. He was the epitome of a 'good-ole boy'.

"Hello Bill." Kay greeted him as he stepped carefully around the piles of books on the floor. They were still going through boxes, and Hao kept adding more books. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, looks like you got lots of stuff sorted out here, think you can help me find a book?" Bill asked.

"What are you looking for?" Kay asked, standing up, ignoring the twinges in her knees as she did so. She'd always had issues with her knees.

"Well, I was hoping for a thriller, or an action or a spy book." Bill said.

Kay thought for a moment, and then walked through the piles of books, looking for one set of piles in particular. She carefully pulled the pile apart and found the book she was looking for. "Here you are, The Judas Strain by James Rollins. There's a bit of science in it, but everything's explained." She said. "If you like that, there's a bunch more for when you finish."

"Thanks, Kay. You've done a good job here." Bill complimented, then walked out. "See ya, li'l bit." He said to Alyss, ruffling her hair as he walked by.

"I like him. Kinda want to keep him as a pet, you know?" Alyss joked.

"I'm not sure it's wise to become so friendly with him." Kay said, though she felt like a hypocrite for saying it. Alyss gave her a sardonic look.

"The only one without a soul here is that asshole Hao." Alyss informed her. "Bill's still human, even if he did choose a bad man to follow."

"I suppose you're right." Kay admitted. "When did you become the level-headed one of the two of us?"

"Probably around the time you lost your mind." Alyss quipped. Kay felt her eye twitch as old memories swirled to the surface. "Oops, probably not the best thing to say, sorry sis."

"It's alright." Kay sighed, trying to calm the storm in her mind. She was brought back to reality by three more people entering the library. It was Kanna, Mari and Macchi, the three females were rarely seen apart from one another that Kay had seen. She didn't really know much about them, they didn't interact very often with anyone but Hao, so she was on her guard. "Hello, ladies, what can we do for you?" Kay asked politely.

"We're looking for books!" Macchi cried cheerfully. Kay stamped on Alyss' foot, choking off the 'no duh' she knew was coming.

"Is there anything in particular you were looking for?" Kay asked while Alyss cursed her quietly.

"Horror." Mari said tonelessly.

"Magic!" Macchi crowed, bouncing up and down.

"Science fiction." Kanna said, eyes daring anyone to make fun of her genre of choice.

"You take the sci-fi, that's your area of expertise." Alyss said drily, heading in the direction of the 'K' pile.

"No Harry Potter, I've already got all of them." Macchi added as Kay went on the hunt. She found what she was looking for in the C and D piles and weaved her way back to the waiting girls. "Ender's game, Miss Kanna." She said, holding out the book. "It's the first in a series and looks at morality and war." Kanna took the book and read the back of it. "And for Miss Macchi, So You Want to Be a Wizard. First in a series and a bit of a different take on the way magic works."

"And for Miss Mari, we have Misery, by Stephen King, not part of a series, but there's a lot more by him." Alyss said, handing another book to Mari, who took it and stared at it expressionlessly.

"It'll do." She said finally.

"Yeah, thanks!" Macchi chirped and then skipped out of the library. Kanna and Mari followed silently, clutching their books. Kay shook her head as they left.

"What's eating you, sis?" Alyss asked.

"We're getting too comfortable, too relaxed here." Kay said softly.

"Speak for yourself, I'm always waiting to get stabbed in the back." Alyss snorted.

"You've always been paranoid." Kay muttered. "If I wasn't your sister I'd be worried about your psychopathic tendencies."

"Hey, dreaming up and writing ways to brutally murder someone is a lot better than actually going out and doing it." Alyss retorted. Once upon a time Kay would have laughed, but now her gaze merely softened a touch, the only acknowledgement of affection or amusement her body remembered how to do.

"Again I say, if I wasn't your sister, I'd worry about you."

%&%&%&%

Demons always came by night. He didn't mean that literally, not this time. Hao was thinking about the demons of one's mind. There was a reason human beings feared the night, and it wasn't just because of the beasts lurking in the dark. It was the quiet, the lack of movement, of action, that inspired thought and reflection, and allowed the memories one ran during the day to escape to catch up once more.

Of late there had been another demon added to the horde that plagued his mind; doubt. It was the fault of those two human sisters, the ones now employed in his library. He knew, he _knew_ humans were vicious, cutthroat, uncaring and selfish creatures who delighted in violence in destruction; that was what he'd always known to be true, from his own experiences.

Yet those two were different. Where he found cowardice in humans, there was courage in them. Kay was kind to Opacho, which he never would have expected of a human, even a female. And then there was the fact that Kay had given up her freedom in order to save the life of her sister. Such actions didn't fit into his view on humans, and he hated that he was being forced to think about it.

He cursed and threw off his covers. Sleep was not coming to him and he hated lying in bed doing nothing when his head was so full of thoughts. He quietly opened his door and padded out into the hall, muttering under his breath unhappily. He mulled over his thoughts, paying no attention to where his feet were taking him until he found himself standing just outside the humans' sleeping quarters.

He grimaced; his thoughts on Kay and Alyss must have led him this way. He prepared to leave when something caught his eye inside. He pressed himself into the shadows to get a better look; it wouldn't do to have someone notice he was taking an interest.

Kay and Alyss were sleeping on the same cot, Alyss' face buried in Kay's chest. Kay had one arm tight around Alyss' sternum, and the other clutching the stuffed lion that had been dubbed the 'children's librarian'. That wasn't what caught his eye though.

What caught his attention was the spirit sitting attentively by Kay's head. It looked enough like the stuffed lion still for Hao to recognise it, but the spirit looked more lifelike while still being obviously a toy. It noticed him watching and opened its mouth to hiss at him, one paw protectively placed on Kay's sleeping head.

It wasn't uncommon, for inanimate objects that are very much loved to develop souls of their own. Luchist's spirit was the spirit of a car, after all. Hao wondered how many children's toys had souls of their own then. _And how many were left unable to protect the little ones in their charge. _A traitor voice whispered in his ear. Hao shook the thought out of his head, refusing to listen to the accusation in it.

He turned his attention on Kay again, seeing her frown in her sleep and whimper. She suddenly jerked awake as he watched her, eyes wide and teeth clenched together. (blood on hands can't wash away blue eyes open but not seeing hush little baby don't say a word where is Alyss little sister gone big sister can't protect)

Slowly the disjointed, frantic thoughts faded as the spirit rubbed against her cheek without her realizing it. Kay looked at her sister, blinking to clear her vision and Hao heard the audible sigh of relief as she settled back down again. The toy spirit, Simba, glared at Hao and then curled up against Kay, watching him closely until he left.


	14. Chapter 14

Star: I own nothing

Hao thought he was going to have a relaxing day, until Bill came up to him, panting and looking worried. "What is it, Bill?" Hao asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

"It's… well… it's… you'd better come see for yourself." Bill said, nervousness radiating off him. Hao sighed and got up, following Bill. Bill stopped them a little distance away from the edge of the forest. He pointed out, just past the edge of the spells and charms in place to keep unwanted shamans out. There was a figure there, moving sluggishly in the grass, looking injured.

"Didn't want to go right up, in case it was a trap." Bill explained. "What do you think?"

"You're probably right." Hao replied. He crouched down, spinning a copy of himself out of his furiochu and had it walk back to the house, making it look like he'd left. "Go see what they are." He ordered. Bill walked up. As soon as he cleared the protective spells, Michael the Archangel attacked. Hao moved faster, calling up the Spirit of Fire and attacking. Michael backed off quickly, disappearing as the Spirit of Fire brought its hand down over Bill and their unknown captive protectively.

Hao waited a moment, but it looked like it was a one shot plan on the X-Laws' part. He snorted and sauntered up to Bill, feeling smug, until he saw what Bill was standing over, or rather, who Bill was standing over. Bill looked up at him, expression helpless. Hao looked away and then back at the shaking, dirty, bruised and bloody figure curled up on the ground.

It was Yoh. It was Yoh, Hao had to assure himself of that a couple times, because the shaking body on the ground was thinner, paler and had longer, and dirtier, hair. But it was Yoh, and he was hurt. "What do we do?" Bill asked in a near whisper. Yoh flinched at the sound of his voice and turned his head, and that was when Hao nearly lost his lunch.

Yoh's mouth and eyes had been sewn shut, very recently if the trails of blood were any indication. There were drops of blood trailing down his cheeks like tears, for all Hao knew they were tears. He swallowed back the bile in his throat.

"Pick him up. We'll bring him to Faust." Yoh let out a muffled noise of distress as Bill picked him up, but didn't fight. Hao walked in front of Bill, wary of another attack, though he was certain the X-Laws couldn't get past his spells.

"Gott im himmel!" Faust exclaimed when they walked into the infirmary. Yoh shifted in Bill's arms, turning towards the sound of Faust's voice and then slumped again, clearly exhausted. "Put him down on the bed, quickly, quickly." Faust urged, speaking in staccato German to Eliza as Bill did so. He took a syringe and morphine from his dwindling supply and injected Yoh with it, whispering soft words of comfort until Yoh fell unconscious. "Please leave now, I do not work with an audience."

%&%&%&%

Hao didn't go back to check on Yoh until the next day, figuring Faust would be stressing enough without him hanging over his shoulder. Faust was in the process of checking Yoh's retinal response to light. Faust looked up and nodded at him.

"So, what's the verdict?" Hao asked.

"He has been tortured, for a few months at least." Faust replied. "There are mostly superficial wounds, whippings, burns, bruises, that sort of thing. He is also very dehydrated and severely malnourished. He will recover, with time."

"Strange, why would the X-Laws take him?" Hao muttered.

"He is your twin." Faust pointed out. And Hao felt like a little bit of an idiot. The X-Laws knew Yoh was connected to him, perhaps they thought Yoh had some secret way of defeating him, or had some way of getting into his head, which was absolutely ridiculous, but then again the X-Laws were crazy.

He cocked his head, gazing down at Yoh critically. He didn't look quite as bad now that the stitches in his face were gone, though Hao could still see the little holes where they had been. Other than that he looked terrible, fading bruises on his face, the chalky paleness of his skin emphasizing the blue-green marks. Yoh shifted in what looked like an uncomfortable manner and let out a low moan.

"He seems to be waking up already." Hao commented, just as Yoh opened his eyes and looked straight at him. Hao winced as his mind caught the surge of terror and pain from Yoh's mind and so didn't think to grab Yoh before he'd somehow scrambled off the bed and bolted for the door.

"What the hell?" He growled, getting over his initial shock and sprinting after Yoh. How was he able to move so damned fast when he was so weak? He lost sight of Yoh almost immediately and stopped, growling in irritation. With his luck today Yoh would collapse out of exhaustion in some little hidey-hole and not be found for hours.

He stalked down the halls, searching for a sign of his wayward brother. As he walked Kay poked her head out of the library. When she saw him she jerked her head in a 'come here' gesture. Hao walked over, simmering with anger.

"I assume you have something to do with the kid that just ran in here, sir." She said quietly. Hao jerked forward but Kay stepped carefully in front of the door. "Alyss is attempting to calm him down now. If he's been running from you your presence might just agitate him further."

Hao peeked over her shoulder to see Alyss actually holding onto Yoh, talking softly into his ear. Yoh seemed to be calming down. "You're the mental specialist, what the hell's the matter with him?" Hao demanded.

"I do not have nearly enough information to make even an educated guess on that, sir." Kay retorted. "I'd need to know his circumstances, personality, history of mental illness. In addition to that I was merely a student before all of this (the end of the world) happened and not a certified psychiatrist."

"You know more than I do."

"That's not saying a lot, sir." Kay replied, completely deadpan. Hao felt his mouth try to twitch downwards into a scowl, but he suppressed it, staring into Kay's steady eyes. He could feel her worry, along with thoughts flying at top speed as she tried to remember all that she'd learned. Faust ran up as they stared at one another and Kay stepped aside for him.

"You let him pass." Hao said, trying not to sound accusing.

"He's a doctor, and he had a syringe of what I assume is morphine." Kay replied calmly.

"I need you to tell me what's wrong with him. You're the only one who has some kind of knowledge about mental health, as much as it pains me to have to ask this." Hao growled. "He's been tortured for the last few months, he used to be a very calm, trusting person, what the hell's the matter with him?"

Kay rocked on her heels a moment, eyes trained on the ceiling as he thought. "This is a very, very uninformed guess, but I would say that he has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"Great, wonderful." Hao said sarcastically. "How do I fix him?" Kay fixed him with the coldest glare he'd ever seen from her.

"He's a human being, not a toy, you can't just fix him." She spat. "And with an attitude like that you're not going to be any good for him either."

Hao swallowed the rage that welled up inside him because he could feel that Kay was concerned about Yoh. He was concerned too, if only because Yoh's current state of terror, which was ebbing down into nothingness as they spoke thanks to Faust and his morphine, was so out of character for Yoh that it was disturbing.

"Then, how do I help him?" Hao asked, quieter. Kay stared at him for a moment, as though weighing whether or not he was being serious.

"The first thing you have to understand is that he's never going to be exactly the same as he was, and that he's always going to have issues with certain things. The second thing you have to accept is that this is going to take time. We're going to have to earn his trust before we can work out how to help him deal with flashbacks, newly formed irrational fears, triggers and any mood swings he might experience." Kay explained. "Our biggest concern is going to be helping him learn to cope with the world again and it's not going to be easy, it's not going to be quick."

"Trust, that's not going to be easy." Hao growled, rubbing his temple, feeling a headache forming there.

"Dealing with people never is." Kay replied evenly. She stepped aside again as Faust came out of the library, carrying the limp body of Yoh with him. Kay watched him go and Hao saw that her eyes had softened.

"Will you work with him then?" Hao asked.

"You're asking me?" Hao heard the surprise in her voice.

(why not just order me)

"I have no experience with anything like this, I don't know what I'm supposed to do, so yes, I am asking you." Hao repeated through gritted teeth. Kay nodded her head curtly. "How do I deal with him when he's terrified of me?"

"He's probably half delirious right now, his actions are not completely under his control. It would be best to wait until he's lucid to see how he will react and then I can make recommendations." She said. "I will also need to know everything I can about him, personality, life experiences, his interactions with you, with other people, any history of mental issues he might have had or that might run in the family."

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Hao muttered to himself.

"Possibly." He looked up at Kay, who stared back blankly before going back into the library to work.

"Smart-ass." Hao mumbled, and then walked off. Strange, she must have been getting comfortable around him to mouth off like that.


	15. Chapter 15

Star: I own nothing

The consequence of Yoh's mad scramble to get away from Hao was a dangerously high fever. Faust hovered over his patient worriedly, trying to cool him down and get some fluids in him. Even being unable to peek at Faust's thoughts Hao could tell that Faust feared the fever would kill Yoh.

To keep his mind off Yoh's illness Hao sought out Kay, with a notebook for her. "Come with me." He ordered her, interrupting her at shelving books. Kay nodded her head and followed him out. "Your sister must not be very happy about me stealing you away."

"She hates people in general, so she's quite happy to let me deal with them as much as possible." Kay replied. "Your concern is noted though." Her voice held a note of sarcasm; she knew he was baiting her. "What do you wish of me now?"

Hao handed her the notebook and a pen. She looked at them and raised an eyebrow at Hao. "You said you needed to know all you could about Yoh." Hao said by way of explanation. "I do not have all the answers, but I know some."

"Do you know where I can get more answers?" Kay asked, opening the notebook and trying out the pen one of the pages.

"Faust." Hao replied. "He was one of Yoh's closest companions before all of this."

"I will do that then, thank you sir." She nodded her head. "I would start with your relationship with Yoh. If we are to figure out how to get him to trust you, I will need to know how you interacted with him."

"Mostly he was trying to prevent me from killing someone or I was trying to kill him." Hao explained.

"I can see where he might have a problem trusting you." Kay said, without a trace of irony in her voice.

"All the same, he was forever polite and friendly when we did speak, for the most part that is." Hao retorted.

"That doesn't mean he trusted you, that just meant that he has manners." Kay replied. "How was he with the X-Laws?"

"Much the same. He had a certain optimism about the world and people, always felt that they were inherently good, the fool." Hao shook his head.

"Who would you say has done more to harm him in the past, you or the X-Laws?" Kay asked.

"I would have to say me." Hao ground out reluctantly.

"That will make it more difficult for him to trust you, I'm afraid."

"Why? I'm not the one who tortured him so bad." Hao protested.

"I have a tentative hypothesis in place, based on what you've told me so far. You say he had a very optimistic view on life, and on people, correct?" Hao nodded his head, wondering where she was going with this. "By being tortured, that viewpoint was not just tested, it was shattered. He's left knowing that people aren't as good as he thinks they are, and that they could hurt him."

"And he's wondering, since I've been his greatest tormentor, what I am capable of doing to him." Hao guessed.

"Precisely." Kay shut her notebook. "Of course this is all speculation, I'll need to talk to Faust and find out how he reacts to you when he's lucid again, but this isn't going to be easy, for anyone. You're going to have to be patient with him."

"I can handle patient, I've been patient for a thousand years." Hao growled.

(you're doing patient very well now) Hao chose to ignore the sarcastic thought.

"It will not help if he sees that you are getting angry, do you understand?" Kay said slowly. "You're going to have to keep your temper in check."

"If I can keep it in check enough around and your sister that I don't kill you I think I can handle it." Hao snapped.

"You have a point." Kay conceded. "My apologies." Hao snorted, not believing her apology for a second. "Is there anything else you can tell me, sir?"

"No, go talk to Faust now." Hao ordered.

"Yes, sir."

%&%&%&%

Faust looked up from his attempt to get some water into Yoh's dehydrated body at a knock. He smiled wanly at Kay and gestured her inside. "Hao told me you would be coming to speak to me." He said softly.

"Any change with him?" Kay asked, gesturing at Yoh.

"Not yet." Faust sighed. "It would be so much easier if I had proper facilities, proper equipment…." He shook his head. "Enough of my woes, you are here to talk about Yoh, ja?"

"Ja." Kay replied, taking out a pen and opening the notebook she was carrying. "What can you tell me about his personality?"

"He is, or was, a very kind boy, always had compassion for anyone he met, even if they'd hurt him." Faust chuckled slightly in remembrance. "Some of his best friends are those that tried their hardest to kill him. He despises seeing anyone suffering or sad, and believes that people are inherently good at their cores. His motto was always 'everything will work out'." He sighed, sadly. "I guess he found out that was wrong." He gestured at Eliza to check for listeners, and when she gave the all-clear he leaned in towards Kay. "I worry about how his other friends are doing. I cannot get word to them that Yoh is alright."

"Why not?" Kay asked, though the look in her eyes suggested she knew why.

"Too risky. I try to get in contact and Hao finds out, he'd probably have me killed." Faust explained. "For all I know they do think I'm dead, I've had no contact with them since I came here under Yoh's instructions."

"They probably at least know that the X-Laws took him." Kay replied.

"I would not be so sure of that." Faust said with a shake of his head. "The X-Laws exist solely to destroy Hao. If they could find a way to raise more anger against Hao, say by kidnapping someone and claiming Hao did it, they will do it. They have no concept of compassion, or mercy."

"You think they're clever enough to pull something like that off?" Kay asked, head tilted slightly.

"Yes, I do, and they're crazy enough to do it as well." Faust groaned. "I fear once they have a proper plan in place this location will be attacked."

"Possibly, but we have Yoh, we can explain that it was the X-Laws that hurt him." Kay protested.

"Yes, well, the X-Laws can, and will, claim brainwashing, on both of us." Faust rubbed at his face. "Yoh's friends are passionate, but they do not always think and question things. Yoh was the best at that, he was the best of us."

"You think he still trusts you?" Kay asked.

"I hope so, I can't think why he wouldn't, but he is so damaged in his mind…" Faust trailed off.

"Well, the good news is that your presence here will probably make this a little easier." Kay informed him.

"Warum?"

"He trusted you, and the odds are he'll still trust you, especially if you're the one caring for him while he physically recovers." Kay explained. "Having at least one person in this place that he trusts will lower his stress levels significantly and make it easier for others to earn his trust because he's that much more relaxed."

"Sehr gut then." Kay nodded her head. "You know a lot about this."

"When I decided I liked psychology I read every textbook, every paper, every book I could lay my hands on." Kay explained. "I'll also be stockpiling any books we have now on psychology, so that I have as much information as I can to help him. It would be really easy to screw this up and damage his psyche further, I don't want that at all, and not just because Hao will take it out of my ass."

"You're afraid of hurting him further." Kay nodded her head. "I fear not being able to help him more, so we are in the same boat, meine freund."

"I suppose we are." Kay admitted.

"Do you understand German, by the way?" Faust asked, realizing that his frequent slips into his native tongue had not confused her.

"No, I understand some Dutch, because my grandparents came from the Netherlands, and it's similar enough to German that I can figure it out." Kay explained. "Now, I should be getting back to the library before Alyss gets pissed off thinking I'm slacking off."

"Guten tag, Kay."

"Goedendag, Doctor."


	16. Chapter 16

Star: I own nothing!

It was a week before Hao wandered into the infirmary to find Faust helping Yoh eat a bowl of simple chicken noodle soup. Yoh couldn't even lift his own head by himself he was so weak; Faust was holding it up for him. Hao almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Yoh still seemed to trust Faust enough to touch him.

Hao moved closer and Yoh spotted him, his dark, dull eyes sparking with fear at the sight of him. He was too weak to do anything but jerk slightly in an attempt to pull himself further away from Hao, but the movement jarred the spoon Faust was holding, making him spill a few drops down Yoh's front. Yoh let out a faint, hoarse yelp of surprise.

"Es tut mir leid." Faust said, his stress making him slip back into his native tongue. "I'm sorry, Yoh, here." He dabbed the spots away with a cloth and looked up at Hao, eyes all but begging him to leave. Hao did so, standing outside in the hallway and waiting. A few minutes later the doctor walked out.

"His fever broke?" Hao asked.

"Ja, sometime in the night." Faust replied, relief clear in his voice. "He is very weak, but he seems to be taking food without trouble, so that is good. There appears to be no damage to his brain because of the fever, but he does seem to be constantly cold, most likely because of the weight loss, he's lost most of his natural insulation."

"Has he said anything to you?"

"Nein, he does not seem inclined to speak, it is probably mental though, as I can find nothing wrong with his tongue or larynx." Faust sighed, looking tired. "The good news is he seems to have no problem with me."

"Are you sure he's fully lucid?"

"Ja, I'm sure." Faust answered.

"Good man, I'm going to go talk to his therapist now." Hao said, taking his leave of Faust. He came into the library in the middle of storytime with Opacho and so he waited for it to be done, taking in the nearly finished library. He smirked to himself, less than two months and it was already close to done, and already serviceable with a pair of very knowledgeable staff. Blocken must be wetting himself, he thought triumphantly to himself.

When Kay was done she stood up and walked up to Hao. "What can I help you with, sir?" She asked.

"Yoh is awake, and he is lucid." Hao answered.

"Alright, just let me get my notebook." Kay wandered off and came back with her notebook and pen. "Alyss!" She called. The redhead poked her head over the balcony on the second floor. "I'm going to be discussing something with the boss, you got control of the whole library." Alyss gave her a thumbs-up in reply. "So what can you tell me, sir?"

"Your assumption that he would trust Faust was correct. He was taking food from him when I looked in on him." Hao said.

"Good, that's good." Kay said, nodding her head.

"He definitely does not want me near him though." Hao continued. "He flinched back as much as he could as soon as I started walking towards him."

"You're going to have to earn his trust then." Kay told him.

"How?"

"First of all by leaving him alone, giving him space." She explained. "He needs to understand that you won't hurt him, and the only way to do that is to make sure he feels comfortable, as soon as he starts to look uncomfortable, you have to back off. The second thing you can do is give him free run of this estate, don't try to shut him up inside. This will let him know that he's not completely a prisoner and hopefully help him relax. Thirdly, let him have a safe space, somewhere he can be alone and no one else is allowed to be."

"This is sounding very complicated." Hao said, rubbing at his temples.

"I told you it wasn't going to be easy." Kay reminded him. "You will need to let your people know not to disturb him, not to touch him or approach him unless he allows it. While I'm on this topic I should remind you also that if he allows your presence one time it doesn't mean that he will allow it the next and you need to respect that."

"What else can I expect?" Hao growled.

"It varies from person to person." Kay shrugged. "Sufferers of PTSD can have rapid mood swings, bouts of rage, delusions, flashbacks, waking nightmares, depression and suicidal tendencies."

"I doubt Yoh would have suicidal tendencies." Hao scoffed. Kay gave him a stern look.

"You can't think of him as the Yoh you used to know, he's not the same anymore. Even the most upbeat person has their breaking point."

"Fine, whatever." Hao said dismissively.

"No, not whatever." Kay said angrily. "You want to help him you have to take this seriously, you have to be on the alert for any destructive behaviour. This is not a game."

"Alright, I get it." Hao scowled at her. "No need to treat me like I'm stupid."

(I'll stop treating you like it when you stop acting it)

"My apologies, I just need you to understand how important this is, sir and what the consequences could be if we fail." Her tone softened. "It will get a little easier when we figure out his triggers and give him coping methods, but until then we're going to have to tread very carefully."

Hao nodded his head curtly and walked out of the library, brushing past Macchi as she bounced back in, chattering happily about how the book Kay had given her was so awesome and did she have more? Hao snorted as he realized that he might as well keep the two humans as librarians, no one else knew the books like they did after all, and his followers seemed to be falling in love with them.

%&%&%&%

Faust watched as Yoh put his feet on the ground and then helped the young man to stand up. Yoh swayed a little, grasping onto Faust's arm weakly for balance. He put his arm carefully around Yoh's shoulder and walked him around the small infirmary. Yoh limped a little, favouring his left leg, which had been bruised rather deeply.

He released Yoh and let him move around on his own. Yoh wobbled a little, but he didn't look like he was just going to fall over any time soon so he let him be. He shivered almost constantly, no matter how many layers he wore, but that would die down as he gained weight again. Yoh had yet to say a word to anyone in the week since he'd woken up from his fever, but Faust could see that he was improving at least physically and that made him happy.

While Yoh was still very pale he wasn't the unhealthy greyish tint that he was all last week. Most of the bruises on his skin had faded to a sickly yellow colour and the tiny holes where the stitches in his face had been were closing up nicely.

"Sehr gut, Yoh?" He asked. Yoh looked up at him and nodded his head. That was another thing that had changed; Yoh's eyes. They were dull, almost lifeless, instead of the vibrant, light-filled, optimistic eyes that Faust had always known. He hated them, and he hated the X-Laws for having caused it.

"We are going to be leaving the infirmary now, Hao-sama has given me some instructions for you." He didn't miss the flinch that Hao's name prompted. "It will be alright, I promise." Yoh's dull eyes were bleak, as though he'd stopped believing in promises.

Faust led him out of the infirmary and down the halls. Yoh tottered slightly, but for the most part he held himself up. Faust was glad that they met neither Hao nor one of his followers on their way through the halls; Yoh was stressed enough. He breathed a small sigh of relief when they got to Yoh's room without any incidents.

The room was the one next to Hao's, and had a connecting door to Hao's room, but he wasn't going to tell Yoh that. The room had been made up with a futon, blankets, a dresser full of clothes that were at least somewhat like Yoh's usual attire; Hao had been told that anything familiar would be helpful and it seemed that he was taking Kay's advice to heart.

"Alright, now I hate this part, but Hao has a few rules for you to follow." Yoh sat down on the futon, pulling one of the blankets around himself and looking up at Faust. "You are allowed to wander the estate as you please, but you are not to go past the boundaries, which are the forests around us. If you do you will be brought back and confined to inside this building. You are allowed to go anywhere in the building. Hao has said you don't have to take meals with everyone else, they can be brought to you."

Yoh nodded and lay down on the futon, obviously meaning to go to sleep. "Have a good rest, Yoh." Faust said, and then left Yoh alone.


	17. Chapter 17

Star: I own nothing

Kay was shelving books when Yoh peered into the library, looking uncertain. "Good morning." She greeted him, making him jump a little. "You may come in, this library is for everyone." Yoh stepped inside, still looking nervous. "Your name is Yoh, correct?" Yoh nodded his head. "I'm Kay, and my sister Alyss is somewhere around here…"

"What?" Alyss asked, poking her head out the side of one of the shelves. "Oh, hello again, nice to see you when you're not having a freakout." She said and then disappeared again. Yoh tilted his head in the direction she'd gone and padded quietly after her.

"Not very talkative, withdrawn, possibly childish." Kay murmured to herself. "Dull eyes, lusterless, lack of spirit?"

"Jesus Christ, don't do that!" She heard Alyss yelp. She then heard a bump as someone backed into a shelf. She sighed and went to see if she needed to intervene. She found Yoh backed up against one of the shelves. "Oh fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, don't freak out. I just don't like when people sneak up on me, hell, I don't much like people in general, I like some people, don't get me wrong…"

"Alyss, you're rambling." Kay informed her sister calmly.

"Yeah, fuck you, Kay." Alyss replied. "Just, don't follow me around, okay?" She said to Yoh, who was giving her the biggest puppy-dog eyes Kay had ever seen. "I don't like it, makes me nervous, and when I get nervous I get violent, talk to Kay, she knows. There's lots to read and we got lots of places in the sun to read, so why don't you do that?"

Yoh nodded his head and wandered away. "He's cute, but clingy." Alyss declared.

"Probably remembers that you're the one who held him when he was freaking out." Kay replied. Alyss sighed in annoyance.

"Well perfect, if I didn't have enough problems, now I got a traumatized kid who thinks I'm his buddy." Kay could hear that Alyss wasn't too put out about it though. "You know I put a lot of effort into making people stay away from me."

"I'm going to have to ask you to bear with it for now, we want him as calm as possible."

"I know, I know." Alyss griped. "I don't have to like it though."

"You don't like much." Kay replied. Alyss stuck her tongue out at her and went back to work. Kay arranged herself in such a way that she could keep an eye on Yoh as he moved around, starting to relax. Of course it was that moment that Bill decided to announce his presence.

"Hello the library!" He bellowed cheerfully. It was a friendly noise, but it sent Yoh into panic mode all the same. Alyss went over to calm him down at Kay's look and Kay went to deal with Bill. "Didn't mean to scare him." Bill said apologetically.

"Not your fault Bill, he's pretty nervous right now, pretty much everything scares him." Kay explained.

"So, keep quiet when he's around?" Bill asked.

"And don't approach him either." Kay added. "Now, what can I do for you Bill?"

"Finished the book you gave me." He answered, handing it back to her. "You got any more?" Kay raised an eyebrow at him. "I know I could find it myself, now that I know the author, but you seem to be good at picking books, so I'd like you to have another go for me."

"I'll see what I can do, Bill." Kay said, sparing a glance at Alyss, seeing that she was successfully talking Yoh down. She went to where the book belonged and took a moment to think before picking another. "Here we are, Amazonia, by James Rollins."

"Thanks Kay." Bill leaned in to whisper to her. "You think he's gonna be okay?"

"We're going to be working with him, but honestly, he's never going to be the same, Bill."

"I was with Hao-sama when we found him, he looked just awful with his eyes and mouth all sewn up." Bill said.

"He didn't tell me that." Kay said, annoyed that Hao had left that out.

"Is it important?" Bill asked.

"It might mean he might have triggers pertaining to his mouth and eyes." Kay said and then sighed. "We might wind up triggering him anyways, but it would have been nice to know about it beforehand."

"You want me to tell him for you?" Bill asked.

"No, I'll tell him myself when he shows up again." Kay practically growled.

"Well, thanks for the new book, see you Kay, see you li'l bit."

"Later Big Bill." Alyss called, waving Bill goodbye. "Nice guy, a little loud though." She commented to Yoh, who was practically curled up in her arms like a baby. Yoh slowly moved away from her, looking slightly embarrassed. "Can I go back to work now?" Yoh nodded his head. "Thanks, kiddo."

Alyss went back to work and Yoh settled down on the floor a little more comfortably. He looked worn out and Kay guessed he'd expended about as much energy as he had at the moment. He pulled a picture book off the nearby bookshelf of kids' books and settled down to read, his posture hunched and defensive.

"Have you gotten anywhere with him?" Hao's voice asked quietly behind him. She jumped about a foot in the air and then turned to glare at him and Luchist, his right hand man, who had materialized behind her.

"Don't do that, I'd rather not waste my energy attempting to punch you." She growled. Hao didn't look impressed with her anger. Luchist looked like he wanted to say something, but Hao waved him off. Luchist didn't look happy about that.

"You're not talking to him, isn't that what therapists do?" Luchist demanded, ignoring Hao.

"I can't talk to him if he doesn't trust me, and he can't trust me if he's not relaxed." Kay replied testily. "Look at his posture, he's bracing himself from an attack. And while we're on this subject why the hell did you leave out the fact that he'd had his eyes and mouth sewn shut?"

"I didn't think it was important." Hao replied, nonplussed.

"Not important?" Kay repeated in disbelief. "You don't think that he's going to have issues with things near his eyes or mouth after that? You know, as a potential trigger?"

"Oh…" For the first time Hao sounded embarrassed, chagrinned and Kay couldn't help the petty satisfaction she got from hearing that. "That probably is important."

"Damn right it is." Kay muttered. "Tell me everything means tell me everything. Now I have to wonder if there's anything you left out."

"Not that I can think of." Hao said, back to being smugly aloof. Luchist glared at Kay, who glared right back, challenging him. He couldn't do anything without Hao's say-so and Hao needed her right now, so she wasn't scared of the tall man.

"Well, think about it. You want me to do this I have to do it right." Kay snapped, patience wearing out. "The less freakouts we have the better. And tell your people to be quiet around him, he doesn't seem to like loud noises."

"Anything else?" Hao growled. She shouldn't have been pleased that she was able to get under his skin like this, but she was all the same.

"Just remember to leave him alone unless he tries to run." Kay said. "Good news is he seems to like Alyss already, so we have an in there. I predict he'll spend a lot of time in here."

"Well, it's something at least." Hao muttered.

"Remember what I said, this is going to take quite some time. Trust is not easy, and in a place like this, where he's surrounded by people who've in the past tried to hurt him or those close to him, it is even harder."

"Do you want me to ask my people not to come in here if he's in here?" Hao asked, calmer.

"No. That would defeat the purpose of a library a little and he needs to acclimatize to this place, and that means getting used to having all these people around." Kay explained. "So long as they don't try to interact with him, they can come in."

"What about Opacho? Do you think he'll be nervous of her?" Hao asked.

"Hard to say. It's difficult enough as is to successfully predict a person's reaction to something, it's even worse when they're emotionally compromised. I would like to say since Opacho is a child and therefore not as threatening, it shouldn't be a problem, but I can't ignore the fact that he's gone through severe trauma and it's going to have bent his perceptions of the world." Kay replied. "If he's not nervous of her, that's a good thing."

"How's that?" Luchist asked, sounding sceptical. Kay gave him a look like he was an idiot.

"If he likes Opacho, that's two people he likes, Alyss and her. Alyss and Opacho both like me, therefore Yoh sees them interacting with me, sees two people he likes showing that they trust me, and he starts to think he can trust me too." Kay explained, trying to avoid sounding like a mother explaining something to a toddler.

"Trust by association, interesting. And since at least some of my people somehow seem to like you, as soon as he trusts you he should start to trust them." Hao guessed.

"Exactly."

"Good. As you were." Hao said, dismissing her. He and Luchist walked off, and she heard Luchist say

"I don't like her attitude."

"Well, she gets the job done, so I will deal with it." Hao replied. "Besides, it's a bit… refreshing."


	18. Chapter 18

Star: I own nothing

Hao tossed and turned restlessly on his futon, but sleep seemed like it was not going to come to him. He could hear no noises from Yoh's room, but earlier he'd heard him quietly sobbing to himself. He'd been tempted to go in and try to find out why Yoh was crying, but remembered Kay's warning in time.

He could feel Yoh dreaming in the other room; it seemed that in sleep the guards Yoh had placed around his mind to prevent Hao snooping were down. He half-considered going into Yoh's mind and finding out all his secrets, but that could very easily damage him further and he did not want that; which, in truth, surprised him a little.

He sighed and got up, knowing that if he tried to wake Yoh up from the nightmares that were currently plaguing him he'd just upset him more. He didn't want to listen in on Yoh's jumbled memories of his time in captivity, they were too depressing. So he took to wandering, seeking no path in particular through the halls of his manor.

Late night walking always gave him time for introspection. He was slowly starting to realize that he wasn't as happy as he thought he'd be. The human race was doomed, there were likely not enough left to save the species and they were easy enough to pick off, and yet he didn't feel that sense of satisfaction he thought he would. The empty bitterness in his heart had not left him, and he could not understand why that was.

He wandered out of the house, onto the grass outside the front. There he noticed a figure standing out in the open, gazing up at the sky, arms folded across their chest. It did not surprise him that it was Kay. What did surprise him was that the steadily growing thatch of slightly curly hair on her head had been shaved back again. He paused for a moment, hearing her singing softly.

_Where has the starlight gone?_

_Dark is the day_

_How can I find my way home?_

_Home is an empty dream_

_Lost to the night_

_Father, I feel so alone_

Hao listened to her for a moment and then walked right up behind her. "Where the hell did you get something to shave your head?" He demanded, making her spin quickly, hands up in defensive fists.

"Oh, it's just you, sir." She said. "And I didn't have it, I asked Bill to do it for me."

"Bill." Hao repeated, deadpan.

"Yes, Bill." Kay replied, just as deadpan in a mockery of his tone.

"What are you doing out here? Not trying to run away, are you?" She wasn't, he knew that by her thoughts, but it was always interesting to see her response to such questions. She gave him a look like she thought he was a little dim.

"Without Alyss?"

"Hmph, that's a good point." Hao mused. "You would do nothing without your sister, would you?" Kay gazed at him, face emotionless.

(promise…promise… I promise.. hush little baby don't say a word…)

"He cried himself to sleep tonight." Hao said, taking the conversation into the realm of business.

"He's been crying himself to sleep all week, Faust tells me." Kay replied. "It's probably mostly stress." She assured him. "That'll likely ease off once he gets comfortable with his location."

"If he gets comfortable." Hao corrected. Kay made a noncommittal noise at that.

"That'll be up to you and yours." She told him. "You're the ones he's stressing about, if he can get comfortable with you, he'll get comfortable with everything here."

"So what are you doing out here?" Hao asked.

"Thinking." Kay replied. "Easier at night I find." She looked up again, staring at the stars.

(one thing I don't miss about the city so many more stars out here)

"Possibly that's when the thoughts actually catch up to you, when you've got nothing to do." Hao added. Kay looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "I thought you were on sleeping pills."

"I am, I'm just waiting for them to kick in. Over a year has reduced their effectiveness." Kay explained.

"Hm. Sounds to me like you're dealing with your own PTSD." Hao said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Please don't try to play shrink, it's always painful to watch the uneducated try and diagnose." Kay sighed.

"Uneducated?" Hao repeated.

"You know what I mean." Kay growled irritably. "It would be like me trying to be an expert on that voodoo magic shit you have." Hao cringed.

"It's called shamanism." He said testily.

"See, that's exactly how I feel when someone tries to play shrink." Kay said with a self-satisfied tone. Hao gave her a dirty look. "And now the pills are kicking in. I should go in sir, I'd rather not pass out here, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Hao replied. "Goodnight." He said as she walked back towards the house. She paused and looked back at him, the puzzled look back in her eyes.

"Goodnight, sir."

%&%%&%&%

Alyss was talking with Mari about the book she'd just finished reading, which was pretty fantastic seeing as Mari, in Kay's experience, hardly ever spoke and generally did not show excitement. She was showing it now, though without smiling, which was kind of creepy.

Kay was dusting the shelves and keeping an eye on Yoh, who had settled in the kids' section and was holding Simba while reading one of the picture books. His posture was as hunched and defensive as it had been the past few days, but the nearly permanent worry wrinkle in his forehead had all but disappeared.

Suddenly Alyss let out a surprised and delighted shriek, making Yoh drop his book in panic and press himself against the bookshelves, still holding tight to Simba. Kay turned and gave Alyss a dirty look. Alyss pointed at the, quite frankly, frightening doll Mari held in her hands.

"Her doll moves, it's like Chuckey!" Alyss said, grinning at her. "That is the coolest thing I've ever seen!"

"Please express your delight in an indoor voice." Kay admonished, shaking her head. Alyss liked the weirdest things. She wandered over to Yoh and crouched down beside him. "Sorry about her, she can get a little excited sometimes." Yoh glanced up at her, the worry-wrinkle back. "You okay?" Yoh nodded his head, still clutching tight to Simba. "Be careful with him alright? He's not as young as he used to be and he frays easy."

Yoh looked down at the stuffed lion and then back at her and then held Simba out, touching him to Kay's chest. "Yeah, he's mine. Comes back to bed with me at night. I'm twenty-five and I still believe he protects me from my nightmares." She snorted, mocking herself. "Eh, we all have our ways of coping, don't we?"

Yoh nodded his head and hugged Simba again. "You going to be fine, no freakouts?" Yoh nodded again and picked up the book he'd dropped. Kay stood up and headed back to the shelves. On the way a little black ball of fuzz attached itself to her leg. Opacho looked up at her, smiling.

"Storytime!" The diminutive child announced.

"Is it now?" Kay asked. "Well, you're the boss, go find me something to read."

Kay settled into one of the soft, squishy chairs in the kid's section after making sure Alyss knew she it was storytime and she was in charge of the library. Opacho came back and crawled into her lap, showing off the book she'd found; Clifford the Big Red Dog.

It wasn't until she looked up halfway through the book that she realized she had an audience. Mari, Macchi and Bill were standing around, watching her and listening to her read. She raised an incredulous eyebrow at them, but continued until the end of the story.

"Thank you, Kay." Opacho said when she was done and kissed her cheek before hopping down to put the book away.

"You know, you should have adult storytime!" Macchi said excitedly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You know, read aloud from a story that's for grown-ups, 'cause you have a great reading voice." Macchi explained, with much arm flailing.

"I agree with Macchi, you got a soothing voice, and it ain't like there's a whole lot for us to do around here." Bill added.

"So, you'd actually like me to read to you?" Macchi and Bill nodded eagerly, while Mari shrugged noncommittally. "Well, alright." She said, bemused. "Anything you want me to read in particular?"

"Go pick something you like, you got good taste." Bill told her. Kay shook her head and went into the shelves, coming back with Thud, by Terry Pratchett. When she got back all her audience was sitting on the floor. Yoh was sitting in his corner, watching all of them warily, but he didn't seem too perturbed. Kay sat back down again and opened the book.

"The first thing Tak did, he wrote himself…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~

Star: The book Thud by Terry Pratchett is an actual book and it's one of my favourites by that particular author, it's funny, it's incredibly well-written and it's got great suspense and dramatic build-up. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good book to read. Also, the song Kay was singing is called Endless Night and it's from the Lion King Broadway production. It's a beautiful, haunting song.


	19. Chapter 19

Star: I own nothing

"You sure they didn't take out his vocal cords or something?" Alyss whispered, eying Yoh sitting in the kids' corner, clutching Simba to him like he had every day he'd come into the library.

"Faust says there's nothing wrong with his vocal cords or his tongue. It's psychological." Kay answered. "We have to be patient with him."

"Easy for you to say, seems like every time I turn around he's there, looking at me with those big eyes." Alyss huffed. "And I can't yell at him because it would be like kicking a puppy."

"Hmm." Kay looked at Yoh. "He's not gone outside this whole time, do you think you could coax him out?"

"Why me?" Alyss groused.

"Because he seems to like you best, for some reason." Kay replied. "Please Alyss, he needs to see some daylight, get some fresh air. Besides, it's an excuse for you to slack off without getting into trouble."

"Fine…" Alyss sighed for dramatic effect, though she was really happy to have an excuse to go outside. It was nice out, and she wanted to read. She wandered over to Yoh, snatching a book off the shelf as she did so. "Hey kiddo."

Yoh looked up, blinking at her. "You're starting to look like a vampire, you need some sun." She held out her hand to him. "Come on, let's go find a tree or something to read by." Yoh looked at her hand, his eyes filled with nervousness. "Anybody tries to mess with you, I'll hit them, okay?" Yoh still looked dubious, but he took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. It was far too easy for her to do.

Yoh had his book and Simba with him too. Alyss mentally shrugged; if the stuffed lion made him feel better, so be it. She brought him outside, to where there was a tree by the house, a cherry tree, or so she thought. She plunked herself down and started reading. Yoh gingerly eased himself down beside her, keeping a small distance between them.

Alyss saw a couple of the shaman goons do a double take at the sight of her and Yoh. Thankfully none of them were willing to go against their evil overlord's rule about approaching Yoh to see what was going on. After a little while she noticed Yoh was nudging closer to her when he thought she wasn't looking. Finally he was resting up against her side. She turned and gave him a look. He scooted back.

"Sorry." The voice was cracked, rough with disuse. Alyss stared at Yoh for a moment in shock.

"Well, you do talk, we were starting to wonder." She commented.

"Sorry." Yoh mumbled again.

"Can you say anything else?" Alyss asked, rolling her eyes. Yoh nodded his head. "Out loud?"

"Alyss." Yoh responded promptly.

"Okay, so we got a Tarzan and Jane thing going on here, you're not going to start hooting, are you?" Alyss was surprised, but also pleased to see a faint smile tug at the corners of Yoh's lips. "Mr. Chatty, aren't you? Can't get a word in edgewise."

Yoh hung his head and muttered another sorry. "Kiddo, you're not going to survive around me long if you don't figure out when I'm just joking around. I know my sense of humour's pretty dry, but it's not that hard to get." Alyss said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry."

"And stop saying sorry for stupid shit."

"So-" Yoh shut his mouth quickly, looking down and smiling slightly. Alyss raised an eyebrow at him, trying to contain her own grin.

"That's better." Alyss said with satisfaction. She saw that Hao had been informed of her and Yoh's presence outside. Hao flicked his finger in a come-hither gesture at her. "Hold on a moment, kiddo, gotta go talk to the big bad boss." Yoh looked worried at that. "Relax, he's not going to do anything, he does, he's got to deal with my sister going all berserk on him."

Looking a little mollified, Yoh nodded his head. Alyss stood up and wandered over to Hao, taking her sweet time. "Why are you wasting time out here?" Hao demanded.

"Because Kay asked me to escort Yoh outside." Alyss answered coolly. "She says the fresh air will do him good and he's not comfortable enough to come out alone, so, me being the one that he seems to like the best, of course I'm the one that's playing babysitter."

Hao was scowling at her by this point. "If I didn't have use for you, I'd silence that insolent tongue of yours." Alyss couldn't help it, she rolled her eyes at him and then smiled.

"Well, I should be getting back to my work, _boss._" She turned and practically skipped back to Yoh, a blatant show of disrespect. Yoh stared at her, wide-eyed as she sat down, looking from Hao to her and back at Hao again for a moment. "What's the matter kiddo?" Yoh just gave her a completely bewildered look. "I think that's enough sun for the day, what do you think, back to the library?"

Yoh nodded and stood up, casting a furtive glance at Hao, who was moving away. "Asshole." Alyss muttered to herself. Yoh gave her another bewildered look. "Not you, the head bitch himself over there."

Yoh flinched and looked around, as if expecting the aforementioned head bitch to materialize and kill them both. "Relax, like I said, I'm still useful to him, so he puts up with me being a rude bitch to him. Least I can do, because the other option is attempting to kill him, and Kay has asked me not to do that." Yoh gave her a look. "To answer your unspoken question, yes, I am crazy."

The walk back to the library was uneventful, mostly due to the fact that it was apparently storytime in the library, as evidenced by Kay's smooth, calm voice talking about a turtle named Franklin who was afraid of the dark. Alyss couldn't help but smile; she remembered that story. There was a timid tug on her sleeve and she looked around to catch Yoh's questioning look.

"It's a story from when we were kids, just remembering…" Alyss trailed off as she swallowed, flashes of simpler, happier times moving across her memory. It made the embers of anger in her soul smoulder hotter for a moment before she beat the emotion back and smiled reassuringly at Yoh. "All in the past, can't be dwelling on it, right?"

"Right?" Yoh sounded unsure about that sentiment.

"They'll probably do adult storytime after this, nobody would notice if you snuck in and took a spot somewhere to listen." Alyss told him.

"Thank you." Yoh said quietly, and scurried off. Alyss found the cloth they used for dusting and got to work. It was mindless, repetitive, and perfect for being able to think, or dream up schemes. She was a little surprised to find she actually liked the kid a little.

She didn't like kids as a rule; noisy, smelly, always underfoot, and little assholes too. She supposed it helped that he wasn't actually a kid, but about sixteen or seventeen years old; though boys that age tended to be no better than toddlers for the most part. He was different though, but that was the fault of his trauma, for all she knew he'd been just like every other vulgar, loud, obnoxious teenager out there.

She found a book that had been put away improperly and took a second to shelve it right and kept going. In so doing she caught a glimpse of Yoh sitting in his corner in the kids' section, watching Kay read with a rapt expression on his face. Alyss stifled a laugh, because everyone else had the same look of concentration on their faces, and it made her wonder what would happen if she made a really loud noise. She wouldn't though, at least not today.

Storytime was soon over and Kay came into the shelves. "How did it go outside today?" She asked.

"Good, good." Alyss said vaguely. "He talked." Kay's eyebrows went up.

"Oh? What did he have to say?"

"Not much, it was mostly monosyllables." Alyss replied. "He smiled too, briefly, I don't know if that's important or not."

"It does show that he is starting to relax." Kay said. "All good things, in their own ways. Anything else?"

"Oh yeah, I sassed the head honcho and Yoh was really confused about the fact that I didn't get killed on the spot." She made a face as Kay sighed patiently. "Hey, you sass him too, you can't go and tell me not to, hypocrite."

"I hate it when you're right." Kay growled. "Okay, so he's seen that Hao apparently is not a complete psychopath…" Alyss snorted in derision. "And he's learning to open up a little. Finally, something definitive I can tell Hao. His constant hounding's starting to grate on my nerves."

"Well, that's what you get for agreeing to this." Alyss gave Kay a cheeky grin in reply to the dirty look she got.


	20. Chapter 20

Star: I own nothing!

Kay was very tired of Hao's constant questions about Yoh. She had told him, very clearly, that Yoh's recovery would take time and was dependent on him getting to trust her on his own. This was not something they could rush and quite frankly Kay was pleased with the amount of progress that had already been made.

It had been two weeks since Yoh had been allowed to wander on his own. Alyss took him outside for at least an hour a day to get some fresh air, and judging by the loss of the near-translucent shade of his skin and the colour that had returned to his cheeks, it had done him some good. He was speaking now, more to Alyss than to her, but it was progress anyways, so she was glad.

He still hid for the most part from the shamans of the household, and ducked for cover every time Bill forgot himself and boomed out in as loud as a voice that he could. He was still extremely twitchy and for the most part didn't like to be touched, unless it was on his terms. It was normal behaviour though, something that would only improve with time.

She noticed today that he seemed to be having trouble focusing on the book he had. He kept staring into space, the book nearly tipping out of his hand at one point. Kay noted the dark circles under his eyes, knowing they wouldn't be bruises. Yoh wasn't sleeping.

Suddenly the book slipped out of Yoh's hand and thudded to the floor, making him jump and look around wildly, as though expecting an attack. Kay walked over quietly and picked up the book for Yoh. Yoh blinked up at her, sleepy eyes blinking at her.

"You dropped this." Kay said, holding it out to him.

"Thank you." Yoh murmured, taking the book back. Kay sat down, knowing this was as good a chance as any to start what Hao really wanted done.

"You look like you haven't slept in a while." She commented. Yoh shook his head. "Something on your mind?"

"I'm afraid." Yoh whispered, looking ashamed.

"What are you afraid of?" Kay asked gently.

"When I dream, I'm back with the X-Laws, being tortured." Yoh explained. "I wake up, and I'm not sure what is real and what isn't. For all I know this is the dream and I'm still there. I'm not sure which possibility is worse."

"Why is that?"

"At least there I knew what was coming." Yoh said bleakly. "Here, nothing's happened yet, but the waiting is killing me."

"What makes you think something's going to happen?" Kay asked, careful not to reveal her agreement with Hao. Yoh would probably stop trusting her if he knew.

"It's Hao." Yoh said quietly, voice barely above a whisper. "Aren't you scared of him?"

"I'm scared of the power he has over my life, and my sister's." Kay replied truthfully. "But in the months I've been here, he's done nothing to harm me, my sister, or any of the other non-shamans. Which, if you've seen how Alyss interacts with him, is pretty fantastic."

"She's not very polite, is she?" Yoh agreed. His brief smile faded again. "I'm just scared, but I'm starting to let down my guard a bit, but I'm afraid that if I do that's when the bad things will start to happen again and I just wish I could get it over with."

"Do you think this is a dream?" Kay asked, focusing on that.

"I…I don't know. I don't think it is." Yoh shuddered slightly. "If it were my dream I would think it would have more cheeseburgers." He let out a strangled sort of laugh which turned into a sob. "I-I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Kay soothed. "You're under a lot of stress right now."

"You're really nice, aren't you?" Yoh sniffled. "You've got a lot of Hao's people who like you."

"Not sure why, it's not like I'm anything special." Kay shrugged her shoulders.

"It's confusing." Apparently Yoh was making up for weeks of not talking. "Hao and his are supposed to hate humans, but the way some of them talk with you, and Alyss, it's almost like you're friends."

"I wouldn't go that far." Kay protested, though she wondered. Certainly Bill liked to entice her into singing with him, and Opacho was very happy sitting in her lap. There was always that knowledge in the back of her mind though that she could be killed at any time, and none of them would do a thing to stop it.

Yoh sighed, and to Kay's mild surprise, leaned up against her tiredly. "I just wish I could sleep." He complained. "At least, sleep without worrying about being tortured again, if that makes any sense."

"Why don't you try taking a nap right now? You're not getting any reading done." Kay suggested. Yoh nodded his head and got up.

"Thank you, for listening." He said, handing her the book and wandering off.

%&%&%&%

Bill quietly sneaked into the library, being mindful of the fact that Yoh was likely there. To his surprise the kid wasn't, but he continued to be quiet, it was a library after all. He tiptoed up behind Kay, re-shelving some books and opened his mouth to sing

"On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha, you can listen to the engines moaning out his one note song. You can think about the woman, or the girl you knew the night before."

Kay didn't turn, but her voice rang out strong and true. "But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do, when you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing much to do. And you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip were through." The two of them joined for the chorus.

Here I am  
On the road again  
There I am  
Up on the stage  
Here I go  
Playin' star again  
There I go  
Turn the page

"I thought this place was supposed to be a library?" Hao-sama's casual voice asked from behind them.

"Oh, sorry Hao-sama." Bill said sheepishly. Hao-sama waved his apology off.

"Yoh's not here." It was a statement, but Bill could hear the question in it.

"He went to try and take a nap, he's not sleeping well." Kay explained evenly. The warmth that Bill had come to know in her voice was replaced by ice when she spoke to Hao-sama. He couldn't blame her, he supposed.

"Does that mean he's talking?" Hao-sama asked. Bill watched irritation flash briefly across Kay's face.

"Yes, he's talking. He's afraid, that's the big thing, but it's not so much just about you." Kay explained. "He's been having nightmares where he's back with the X-Laws and he says he's not sure which is the real world and which is the dream world."

"And there's nothing you can do about that?" Hao-sama demanded.

"That's something he has to sort out for himself." Kay replied. "Although, sleeping pills might help him sleep and would offer him a night without dreams."

"Don't you take the sleeping pills though?" Bill asked, flinching at Hao-sama's sharp look.

"Yes, but he needs them more." Kay informed him. "I dealt with my nightmares before all this fine, I can do it again."

"And how are we going to get him to take these pills?" Hao queried. "He wouldn't take them from me, and you having them would look suspicious."

"Talk to Faust, get him to talk to Yoh, tell him he's concerned about his sleep patterns, something like that." Kay said. "Yoh still trusts Faust, so he should listen."

"Should." Hao repeated.

"Predicting a human being's reactions to something is near impossible." Kay replied frostily. "He trusts Faust, but he might not trust drugs, he may have been tortured using them."

"So if he doesn't take the sleeping pills, what do we do?"

"Find some other coping method for him." Kay said with a shrug. "That's all we can do at this point." Hao-sama stared at her for a moment hard and then turned and walked out without a word. "Prick." Kay muttered quietly.

"You wanna keep singing?" Bill asked hopefully. Kay looked up at him and her cold eyes softened again.

"Why the hell not?"


	21. Chapter 21

Star: I own nothing

"Are you sure you want to give up the pills?" Faust asked. Kay stared up at him evenly. "Yoh needs them more, I can handle my nightmares, his are driving him mad." She said. "I'm already mad."

"Nicht." Faust protested.

"Ja." Kay replied. "I'm in psychiatry, I should know the signs. "The point is, Yoh needs to be getting a decent sleep."

"Definitiv." Faust agreed. "You wish me to be the one to give him the pills?"

"Yes, he trusts you, and you could offer them after giving him a check-up, that wouldn't seem too out of place, would it?" Kay asked.

"Nicht." Faust nodded his head. "Have a look at his wounds, his health and ask about how he's doing, should work fine."

"Bedankt, Faust." Kay said, heading for the door.

"Willkommens." Faust replied. Kay nodded and disappeared around the corner of the doorway. Faust went back to inventorying what was left of his medicines. After a year there wasn't much of the modern manufactured medicines left and any that could be found in drug stores around the world would be approaching or past their best before dates.

He was certain Hao had much knowledge of natural remedies, and those who were hiding with his friends had the Patch to help them with that, but there was no replacing some of the modern conveniences, like vaccines. Of course there weren't as many people around to spread disease, and there were no centers where there was a great mass of humanity to breed such diseases.

He sighed and decided to go have a look around for Yoh. It would be best if he spoke to him sooner rather than later. He walked towards the library, knowing that was Yoh's favourite place to be. He was not disappointed, finding Yoh curled up in the window alcove with a book, shoulders hunched and knees drawn up to his chest.

"Guten morgen, Yoh." Faust said in a quiet tone, not wanting to startle Yoh. Yoh looked up from his book and smiled at Faust. "I would like to steal you away from your book for a short check-up, if you don't mind." Yoh nodded and set down his book, standing up to follow Faust.

"Hey, Doc, bring him back in one piece." Alyss yelled from the second story. Faust looked up at her and smiled.

"But vere vill I get my spare parts from, zen?" He asked, broadening his accent into a ridiculously cheesy movie mad scientist voice. Alyss grinned maniacally at him and went back to work. "Strange girl, but nice enough." Faust commented to Yoh, who nodded in reply. Once they got back to the infirmary Faust closed the door. "If you could please take off your shirt?"

Yoh complied and Faust lightly inspected the various wounds adorning his body. All were healing nicely, though they would leave scars on Yoh's skin. Yoh patiently put up with Faust's poking and prodding. Faust had a listen to his heart and lungs, finding them both in good condition. He was filling out again too, his skin reacquiring a healthy glow.

"Sehr gut, sehr gut." Faust murmured to himself. "Now, you are eating well?" Yoh nodded his head. "No odd aches or pains?" Yoh shook his head again. "What are your sleeping patterns like? Not having any trouble with those, are you?" Yoh hesitated a moment.

"I-I get sleep, but when I sleep I find myself back with the X-Laws." Yoh explained. Faust nodded his head encouragingly. "It wouldn't be so bad, except their so real and I don't know if it's there or here where I really am."

"Perhaps I can help with that." Faust said. "I can give you sleeping pills, and they should prevent you from having dreams while still giving you a good night's sleep. It's up to you."

"I'd like that." Yoh admitted quietly. "If I don't dream, it might convince me that this place is real and not just a product of my insanity."

Faust nodded and went to the cupboard, finding the bottle of pills that had once been Kay's. "Do you want me to keep these, and give you one when you're about to go to sleep?" He asked, suddenly thinking of the possibility that Yoh might use the pills to kill himself.

"Yeah, less likely someone would take them away from me then." Yoh agreed. "I'll come by before I go to sleep tonight. Thanks Faust."

"Willkommens, Yoh." Faust replied. Yoh left the infirmary and Faust breathed a sigh of relief. Yoh seemed to be recovering well, and with any luck a dreamless sleep would aid in that.

%&%&%&%

Hao padded through the quiet halls, almost certain that the one he wanted to talk to would be awake, even at this late hour. He was not disappointed, seeing the figure standing out in the grass, staring up at the sky. She turned as he walked up, regarding him calmly.

"He seems to be sleeping soundly." Hao reported.

"Doesn't mean much, we don't know if he's dreaming or not and will not until the morning." Kay replied. That might have been true except for Hao's mind-reading ability, but he wasn't about to say that to her.

"You have a kind heart." Hao said, as casually as he could.

"And what makes you say that?" Kay asked.

(Why are you just seeing this now)

"You gave up having a good night's sleep for a boy you barely know." Hao reminded her.

"I did what any good therapist would do, help their patient." Kay said. "I'm just doing my job, sir, the one you appointed me to."

"You could have very easily tried to make Yoh feel even more uncomfortable here." Hao pointed out.

"That wouldn't be very wise of me, would it?" Kay countered.

"Human beings aren't very wise though, are they?"

"Point taken." Kay conceded. Hao was silent for a moment and then decided to bring up something that had been on his mind

"It interests me that you seem to have won the hearts of some of my followers." He began. "Particularly since they've never shown interest in any human before. I'm starting to wonder if you have powers that I'm not aware of."

(yeah they must have lost my Hogwarts letter)

"I have done nothing but be myself, if they choose to like me that's no fault of mine." Kay said evenly.

(I'm nothing special just the same as anyone else I don't understand why me)

"I find that hard to believe when you have Bill practically eating out of your hand and Mari spends half her time in the library discussing horror with that sister of yours." Hao growled. Kay's eyebrows shot up in surprise at his statement.

(I hadn't noticed but then again she's so quiet oh lord that could be interesting with Alyss' preferences)

"Alyss and your miss Mari have similar tastes in reading, it doesn't surprise me they are in each other's company, and Bill knows I like much of the same music he does and also that I recommend good books, that's all."

"That's all." Hao repeated. "I have a hard time believing that."

"Then maybe you need to re-examine the way you look at the world." Kay said pointedly. Why Hao felt the need to defend himself, he'd never know.

"My way of looking at the world has worked for a thousand years." He snapped.

"Stagnation is the death of progress and learning." Kay replied contemptuously. "What you're saying is you haven't learned anything new in a thousand years."

"What I'm saying is humans haven't changed in a thousand years. All I've ever been able to see is that." Hao countered.

"That's because that's all you're looking for." Kay replied coolly. "You blind yourself to all else, in order to convince yourself that what you are doing and what you've done is the right thing."

"It was the right thing." Hao ground out.

"Really? So why are you trying to convince me?" Kay demanded. There was a prolonged moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other. "You are changing though, in little ways from when I first saw you." She added gently. "Maybe that's why you're trying to convince yourself again that I am the monster."

"Go to bed, human." Hao ordered. She gave him a mocking sort of bow and headed back inside. Hao cursed himself, her and the whole world when he knew she was out of earshot.


	22. Chapter 22

Star: I own nothing

Kay watched Yoh uneasily. The boy was sitting in the sunlight, reading, but Kay could see a tremor in his hands and his eyes were staring at the page almost blankly. He'd been that way for a couple minutes and it was starting to worry her. She walked over to him and knelt down.

"Yoh?" She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" He screamed, batting her arm away and standing up quickly, backing away. Kay stood up, blinking rapidly, momentarily startled. The angry snarl on Yoh's face vanished after a moment to be replaced by horror. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know why… I didn't mean." He sank to his knees, clutching his head in his hands.

Kay moved slowly over to him and sat down in front of him. "Yoh, may I touch you?" She asked, keeping her voice level. Yoh nodded his head and she placed her hand on his shoulder. "What happened?" She asked. Yoh let out a shuddering sigh.

"I was reading a book about Medieval Europe, I like history, and it was okay, but then there was a section on torture devices and I recognised some of them because… because…"

"It's alright, you don't have to say it if you think you can't, I understand." Kay said soothingly. She understood alright, some of those medieval torture devices had been used on him. It made her blood boil with rage just thinking about it, but she kept up her calm appearance.

"And then you touched me, and I felt like I was back there…" Yoh continued, rubbing his hands over his arms. "It made me scared, and then I got angry, I don't know why I was angry, it scares me, I've never gotten that angry for no reason before, what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing." Kay assured him firmly. Yoh looked at her, still rubbing at his arms. "Yoh, you've gone through a traumatic experience that's affected you not only physically, but mentally as well. Your mind isn't sure how to deal with it, so you will experience mood swings like this, probably regularly. My guess also is that you don't like touching because of the physical torture.

Yoh let out a sniffle. "You seem to know a lot about this."

"I was studying to be a psychiatrist before all this happened. Nice to know those skills aren't going to waste." She said bitterly. "Why are you doing that?" She asked, indicating his rubbing of his arms. Yoh shook his head, looking uneasy.

"I feel like there's something crawling in my skin." He answered.

"Started after I touched you, didn't it?" Kay guessed. Yoh nodded. Kay made a mental note to inform Hao that touching was way out of bounds. Who knew what Yoh might do if he became really agitated. "Okay, this is a psychosomatic reaction, it's basically all in your head, so what we're going to try to do is calm your mind. Do you know anything about meditation?" Yoh nodded. "Are you willing to try it now?" Yoh nodded again and settled into a crossed leg position, breathing slowly and deeply. Kay got up and continued to work, keeping an eye on Yoh. After about fifteen minutes his posture was completely relaxed and he was no longer rubbing at his arms.

"Feel better?" She asked, sitting with him again.

"Yeah." Yoh said, sounding relieved. "Can I ask you something?" Kay raised an eyebrow and inclined her head. "You look like Hao when you do that." Yoh commented, smiling slightly. "Is it… is it bad that I'm not sure anymore that I want to go home?"

"Depends, why do you feel that way?"

"I miss my friends, I do, and I wish I could tell them I'm alright, it's just…" Yoh scratched the back of his head, looking worried. "I'm sort of their leader, I'm the one they look to in order to get things done. If I go back there, I'd be expected to lead, to be the same I always was, and I don't think…"

"That you can handle that right now?" Kay supplied.

"Yeah, not to mention everybody would want to hug me, and be around me all the time, it would just be a nightmare. I don't know if they'd understand, you know? They'd maybe just want me to get over it, or worse, they'd pity me, treat me like I'm broken." Yoh sighed.

"So you actually want to stay here."

"Nobody expects anything of me here, and that feels nice, but it shouldn't." Yoh explained miserably. "And I just know that when I least expect it something bad's going to happen to me, but I feel at home and that scares me."

"I understand what you mean." Kay replied. "It's alright to feel the way you feel. If you feel safer here, than that's fine. That's not something you should feel guilty about."

"Thanks Kay." Yoh said, offering Kay a sweet smile. She felt her lips twitch, as though trying to remember how to reciprocate.

%&%&%&%

Hao walked with Luchist, half-listening to the man rant about how they could not find where Yoh's friends were hiding or the X-Laws. Quite frankly Hao was hardly concerned with those facts. He was more invested in Yoh's recovery at this time, but he allowed Luchist to blow off some steam.

"Hao, sir." Hao turned to look at Kay.

"What is it?" Hao asked.

"It's about Yoh, sir." She replied. "Do you remember me telling you that you should avoid physical contact with him?"

"Of course." Hao said.

"It's become clear that this is something that needs to be strictly enforced, for everyone." Kay said. "I was just with him and he was having some difficulties, so I placed a hand on his shoulder. He reacted badly, but that's not what worries me. He was rubbing at his arms afterwards and complained that it felt like there was something crawling in his skin."

"I fail to see the significance of this." Luchist scoffed. Kay turned her head to regard him contemptuously.

"Which is why I'm the one looking after his mental health and not you." She said rudely. "He's having psychosomatic reactions to being touched, and while it was mild this time, I fear what could happen if he was overly agitated by the touch he received."

"What could happen?" Hao asked.

"He could start self-mutilating in order to make the feeling go away." She explained. "it's not an uncommon reaction, especially with those that are experiencing mental pain."

"Why is that?"

"Because physical pain is easier to deal with and covers the mental." Kay replied bleakly.

(fingers digging into thighs make it stop make the pain go away hush little baby don't say a word)

Luchist snorted. "The only way to get him over that is to touch him." He asserted. Kay looked at Hao.

(Why did you hire such morons)

"That would be highly inadvisable. Yoh feels safe at this time, safe enough at least, and to touch him, to invoke his fear responses would make him feel unsafe. If he feels unsafe he may try to escape and if he can't escape and he's forced to keep being in a place that so scares him, he may take the only way out." She illustrated this by slashing a hand across her throat.

"You really think he'd kill himself?" Hao asked.

"If he felt trapped enough, if he felt like there was no escape from his pain…It's not uncommon, especially amongst young people." Kay explained.

(If Alyss hadn't lived…)

"So what you're asking me to do is to stress the importance of avoiding physical contact with Yoh amongst my people." Hao said.

"Exactly." Kay agreed. "Thank you, sir."

"Alright, now go back to work." Luchist said. Kay gave him a bland look, but then walked off. "I do not like her tone."

"You've mentioned that." Hao said absently.

"Are you truly going to listen to what she says, Hao-sama?" Luchist asked.

"Why would I not?" Hao demanded.

"She could just be stringing us along." Luchist pointed out.

"You forget, Luchist, that I have the power to read minds." Hao reminded him. "I see that she is first and foremost concerned about Yoh's well-being. You would do well to trust my judgement."

"Yes, Hao-sama."

"Now, go tell the others that the order to leave Yoh alone is now intensified and if anyone touches him intentionally there will be hell to pay."


	23. Chapter 23

Star: I own nothing

Hao followed Opacho to the library, knowing it was almost story time. He figured that going and listening in while Yoh was there would be a good way to get Yoh used to his presence around without actually interacting with him. If Kay had issue with it she would be able to see him and tell him to go away, at least that was his reasoning.

"Hi Kay!" Opacho chirped, running up to the human and hugging her legs.

"That time already?" Kay asked.

"Uh-huh, story time!" Opacho cheerfully declared.

"Alright, go find me a book to read and we'll get started." Kay said. "Good morning, sir." She said politely as she walked past Hao.

(you're not normally here what are you doing don't scare Yoh)

"Good morning, Kay." He said and drifted to the wall, leaning against it as others filtered in to sit down for story time. Yoh kept himself away from Hao's people, but he wasn't pressing himself into the corner as he had before. Hao watched as Opacho got set to clamour into Kay's lap and then stop and look at Yoh. For a moment she seemed to think and then padded over to Yoh.

"Hi Yoh-sama." He heard her say. "Can I sit with you?" Looking surprised, Yoh nodded his head. "Can I sit in your lap?" Opacho asked. Yoh blinked at her a couple times, looking even more surprised, and then slowly nodded. "Thank you!" Opacho climbed into Yoh's lap, smiling at him. Yoh smiled back, a tentative, hopeful little thing.

Kay started reading; it was one of Doctor Seuss', the one about the hats. Hao didn't pay much attention to the actual story, he was watching Yoh and watching Kay. He noticed the way Kay's gaze would linger on Yoh before moving onto the rest of her audience. He saw the way Yoh curved himself over Opacho, as though protecting her and saw the way he smiled at her whenever she giggled at a part in the story.

When Kay was done Opacho climbed back out of Yoh's lap, giving him a little kiss on the cheek as she left. Yoh rubbed at his cheek, looking stunned but happy. That was a good thing, Hao decided, and judging by the run of Kay's thoughts, she believed the same.

It was time for the adult's story time. He'd been hearing much about the story being told, how funny it was and how well-written. He resolved to pay a bit more attention to this one, to see if there was anything to those whispers. The scene opened up on a werewolf, a vampire, a dwarf and a stripper, all female, going on a pub crawl. It sounded like the beginning of a joke, and was truthfully very funny, but also a very interesting scene.

He couldn't suppress a chuckle when the vampire wound up throwing up a drink umbrella, but it was drowned out in the roar of laughter from his followers. Yoh flinched a little at the loud noise, but was laughing too, engrossed in the story. If Kay could have smiled, she would be now, and Hao thought he saw a smile straining to form on her lips.

Kay ended the day's portion of the novel and the library emptied of all but Yoh, who went back to reading his own book. Hao quietly walked up to Kay, who was putting away discarded stuffed toy. "He's doing well, isn't he?" She jumped a little, dropping the toy she'd picked up. She turned and gave him a reproachful glare.

"So far, yes." She answered.

"What does that mean?" Hao asked.

"It means that there can be setbacks, something happens, someone triggers one of his fear responses and we have to build him back up to the level he was at." Kay explained.

"How do therapists deal with this every day?" Hao wondered aloud.

"Most have their own therapists." It was said in the same emotionless tone as everything, but it still startled a laugh out of Hao. Kay gave him an odd look. "There's something human left in you after all." She said in a considering tone. Hao wasn't sure how he felt about that observation.

"A momentary lapse." He finally said. Kay stared at him, likely wondering if he was messing with her or not.

"I'm assuming your presence here today is an effort to get Yoh used to you being around." She said, changing the subject.

"It was, do you think it will actually work?" Hao asked. She rocked on her heels, considering the question.

"If you simply stand there silent and watching, probably not. The more he sees you interacting, particularly with someone he knows you should despise, the more he'll think he can maybe trust you." Kay explained.

"Someone I should despise, you mean you, don't you?"

"Or Alyss." Kay suggested. Hao wasn't sure he liked that idea, Alyss liked to goad him. "On second thought, maybe not, Alyss likes to play games and I don't think she'd be able to resist temptation."

"You know her well." Kay gave him another odd look.

"She's my sister, of course I do." She said, sounding like she thought he was foolish for not knowing that.

"I've not had any experience in that regard." Hao admitted, somewhat defensively.

"Then why are you doing this for him?" Kay asked gently.

"You're not my therapist." Hao growled.

"Maybe I should be." Kay retorted. "Why do you want to help him?" She persisted.

"I don't know." Kay gave him an unimpressed look. "I. Don't. Know."

"Think then, try." Kay replied.

"Why is this so important?" Hao growled.

"Because it's important to you, and you need to be aware of yourself, and aware of why you do things, for your own sake." Kay replied. "This is something that's been bothering you, hasn't it?"

"How do you know?"

"I watch, I analyse." Kay replied shortly. "It's my job. What if you become so conflicted over your motives that you hurt him, intentionally or not, how would that make you feel?"

"I…. I would feel bad about it." Hao admitted with a sigh, rubbing at his temple.

"Good, now try to work out why that would make you feel bad." Kay suggested.

"I remember the way he looked when we first found him, and I remember being horrified. I also remember the terror in his eyes when he looked at me and I remember thinking that I did not like that." Hao said slowly. "I never wanted him to be afraid of me, and I don't want to do anything that would give him reason to fear me more."

"Anything else?" Kay prompted.

"You told me to not think of him as a thing to be fixed, so I tried to stop seeing him as just my other half, and start seeing him as… Yoh." Hao shrugged his shoulders. "I'm pretty sure that's where all this started."

"Once you start thinking of someone as a person, as their own entity and start being a part of their life, it's hard to prevent yourself from becoming emotionally attached. It's human nature." Kay said.

"And why I stopped doing it in the first place." Hao snapped.

"Would you like to go back to the way you were now?" Kay snapped back. Hao thought about that for a moment and then dismissed the notion.

"Not only would that be inadvisable for Yoh's mental health, but I would wind up ignoring Opacho again, and likely killing you for your smart mouth." He replied.

"I'm sure you'd like to get rid of that anyways." Kay said blandly.

"I happen to enjoy your smart mouth." He hadn't meant to say it, but Kay's look of utter surprise was just perfect and so he didn't regret it.

(he would have loved no not going there don't think about that that's bad place to go can't go crazy right now Kay)

"Something on your mind?" Hao asked casually. Kay shook herself and blinked at him.

"It's nothing. Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?"

"No, that will be all for now." Hao replied. Kay wandered off and Hao stared after her, wondering what so burdened her mind.


	24. Chapter 24

Star: I own nothing

Hao was surprised to be awoken by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor in the room attached to his. He was about to go investigate when he remembered that Yoh was in there and he wasn't supposed to be stressing him out. He listened to the soft mutters and growls coming from the room for a couple minutes and then began to dress for the day, choosing to ignore Yoh for the time being.

By the time he'd gotten dressed and his long hair brushed out neatly he heard Yoh go stomping out of his room and decided to see what the damage was. There wasn't much, but then there wasn't much that Yoh could break. The dresser had been tipped over and Yoh's sheets and blankets were all over the place, but that seemed to be the worst of it.

He righted the dresser and made Yoh's bed for him, hoping that Yoh would think a little when he saw that. He could always drop a few hints while Yoh was in earshot as well, but that might just make him more suspicious. He glanced out the window at a soft rumble. The sky was full of black, towering clouds; looked like it was going to storm soon.

He headed towards the library, stopping in the kitchen for an apple on his way there. He saw Yoh flinch and look up at the sound of another rumble as he walked into the library. Hao ignored this and sought out Kay, who was up on the second floor, shelving books in the religion section of non-fiction.

"He had a bit of a temper tantrum this morning, tipped over his dresser." Hao murmured, one eye on Yoh. "Is that normal?"

"I did say he'd have mood swings." Kay reminded him patiently. "Anger is good though, it's better than depression."

"Hm, you're probably right." She gave him a look.

(you know I'm right you don't like to admit it)

"I'll keep a close eye on him today, mood swings like that can often be accompanied by panic attacks or flashback episodes." Kay told him.

"And how do you deal with those?" Hao asked.

"Carefully." Kay answered. Hao might have thought that she was being sarcastic, but her thoughts were grim.

"This could end badly, couldn't it?" Hao muttered.

"Hopefully not, but a good professional always braces for the worst, just in case." Kay said. "That way we're not overly surprised when it happens."

"Well, people do know not to touch him." Hao pointed out.

"That's not his only trigger though, I know of one other and that is-" A massive thunderclap accompanied by a blinding flash of lightning interrupted her. A wail of terror immediately followed it. "…loud noises."

Kay moved then, with a quickness that Hao had only seen once, when she'd bashed the brains of the man who tried to hurt Opacho in, and vaulted herself over the railing, landing lightly on the first floor. She was at Yoh's side before Hao could even process that yes, she'd jumped and landed like some cat without seeming to cause herself damage. Hao almost moved to go with her, but realized he would only make it worse.

Yoh was curled up in a ball on the floor, his hands clawing at his back. Kay didn't touch him, but she got down in front of him so that she was in his sight line. "Yoh, look at me." She said, her voice was strong, commanding. "Yoh, you are not where you think you are, you are safe, with me, with Kay? Can you understand me?"

Hao didn't move, didn't call for Faust to come. He trusted that Kay had it under control and that if she did need help she would let someone know. In any case it seemed as though Yoh was responding; his hands were stopping their clawing motions and he was lifting his head to look at Kay.

"Yoh, do I have your permission to touch you?" Kay asked. Yoh nodded his head minutely and Kay slowly and gently wrapped her arms around his shaking form. Yoh jerked and pressed closer as another peal of thunder sounded. Hao couldn't suppress a sigh of relief as Yoh visibly began to relax, though he still jumped every time thunder boomed overhead.

Seeing that Kay seemed to have things under control Hao decided it was time to leave. He quietly padded past Yoh and Kay, meeting Kay's eyes for a moment. Kay nodded at him and he continued on. It wasn't until another, weaker thunderclap sounded that he truly realized just how much he was trusting Kay.

%&%&%&%

"I'm a mess." Yoh lamented, sniffling softly. The storm had passed and he had finally let go of Kay. Kay counted herself lucky that the flashback hadn't been worse.

"You're fine, Yoh." She told him.

"I didn't used to be afraid of thunder." Yoh told her.

"Your circumstances are different now." Kay reminded him. "You're suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It changes the way you view the world, what stresses you out. It's nothing to be ashamed about."

"I-I just…" Yoh sniffed again and rubbed at his nose. "I feel like I'm being pulled every which way, I'm happy, then I'm sad, then I'm scared, then I'm mad and I don't even know why and I just want it to stop."

"Unfortunately I don't have anything to make it go away, but give yourself time and things will get better." Kay assured him.

"Time…" Yoh repeated. "It doesn't erase it all, does it?"

"No, but over time you develop coping methods, and the fear responses lessen." Kay replied. "It might help if you tell me why the thunder scared you so badly."

Yoh let out a shuddering sigh. "The sound reminds me of the sound that Marco… and Marco is the captain of the X-Laws, it reminds me of the sound that Marco's spirit guardian makes. It's big and loud and booming, and when I hear something loud all I can think is that he's found me and I'm going to be captured again."

"Hm, well according to Bill the X-Laws can't get in because of the wards Hao has in place." Kay informed him.

"I know that, I do, rationally I know that, but…"

"The human mind is so often not rational, especially in the face of its fears." Kay supplied. Yoh nodded his head.

"Exactly, exactly." He rubbed at his face. "So what do I do? Is this going to be how I react to all thunderstorms? I don't want to start tearing myself apart because of this."

"Well, the nice thing about thunderstorms is that they very rarely just pop out of nowhere, you almost always have warning." Kay said. "Perhaps if you came to find me, or Alyss, when a thunderstorm is coming, and we can help you bear through the worst of it."

"Even in the middle of the night?" Yoh asked.

"Well, I would hope that the sleeping pills are doing their job, but yes, even in the middle of the night. I don't sleep much anyways." Kay answered. "In time we'll be able to figure out what else keeps you calm during thunderstorms and implement those strategies." Yoh sighed, the tension bleeding out of him.

"Oh, should we go?" Kay looked up at Bill's voice. The big man grinned sheepishly down at her, Kanna, Macchi and Mari poking their heads around him to look at her hopefully. "I mean if it's not a good time we can just go, story time can wait, we don't want to upset nobody, you know?"

"What do you think, Yoh?" Kay asked. Yoh was watching Bill warily, but also thoughtfully. He chewed at his lip for a moment, considering the question.

"It might make me feel better to hear you reading." He admitted. "I usually do feel better after story time."

Kay felt the corners of her mouth twitch slightly. "Alright." She stood up and look at Bill and the girls. "Story time is a go, so find a spot to sit and I'll get started."

Her audience all eagerly sat down, waiting for her to start. She noted that Bill was holding a stuffed hippo from the kid's section. He grinned bashfully at her look but did not relinquish the toy. As Kay got started she saw Hao sneak in, slowly edging his way closer to Yoh, until he sat down not five feet from him. Yoh only looked at him once, cautiously, and then turned his attention back to Kay's reading.

Hao caught her eye and winked at her, a small triumphant grin on his face. She raised both eyebrows at him, silently warning him not to get cocky, but discreetly moved her hand into the thumbs up position. Any small victory was worth celebrating, after all.


	25. Chapter 25

Star: I own nothing

Bill thought that things were better than ever around the place. He decided it was mostly because of Kay and Alyss. They'd made the library into a warm, friendly place and they had also worked endlessly to help Yoh-sama. Now Yoh-sama would even smile at him when he went in for story time. Of course there was always problems, like when someone would accidently bump Yoh-sama, or the other day when Yoh-sama had screamed at Hao-sama to get away from him.

Of course there was a dark cloud in every happy place. In this case it was Blocken. He'd been put on the slave force for the foreseeable future and was clearly not happy about it. He loudly objected his treatment to anyone who would listen, which weren't a lot of people these days. Bill worried though that the angry little man might try to do something to hurt Kay or Alyss.

He was wandering around the grounds, having a look at the crops that were growing up nicely. One of the humans, an old man who Bill knew was named Old Willy, tipped his hat as Bill went by. Bill nodded in reply. No harm in being friendly, especially when Old Willy was a farmer and knew the most about the crops they were growing.

As he walked on a sound reached his ears and he stopped, frowning as he tried to figure out what it was. It was a keening noise, a sound of distress, one that he'd heard before… Bill ran towards the sound as fast as he could.

He found Blocken had cornered Yoh-sama against the house and was poking at him. Yoh-sama was obviously in full panic-attack mode, attempting to get away though he was shaking so hard it was like he was having a seizure. Bill growled and grabbed Blocken, throwing the small man away. He didn't even wait for Blocken to get up and picked Yoh-sama up in his arms.

He knew he probably shouldn't, and knew he was right about that by the way Yoh stiffened in his arms, but he had to get him away from Blocken as soon as possible. He needed to find Hao-sama or Kay; they'd know what to do.

%&%&%&%

Hao was thinking it was going to be an ordinary day, until Bill came barrelling into the manor, carrying a nearly catatonic Yoh in his arms. "Bill? What the hell?" Hao demanded, his normal composure gone.

"Blocken had him cornered, Hao-sama, poking at him, you know what that does to him. Wouldn't have touched him, but I had to get him away." Bill explained, looking both panicked and apologetic.

"Let's get him to his room and then get Faust for me." Hao said decisively. Bill nodded and carried Yoh to his room. Hao stayed in the room while Bill went to get Faust, feeling the need to keep an eye on Yoh while they were waiting.

It quickly became evident that it was a good idea he had. Yoh curled up on himself almost immediately and began to tear at his back with his hands, uttering soft whimpers as he did so. Hao walked over to Yoh, trying to calm his hammering heart and crouched down in front of Yoh.

"Yoh, look at me." He tried to use the same voice that Kay used when talking him out of panic-mode. The only thing this served to do was make Yoh whine and curl himself up even further. Yoh was still clawing at himself, Faust hadn't shown up yet, so Hao did the only thing he could think to do.

He grabbed Yoh's hands, holding them in front of him. Yoh went completely rigid with terror. "Yoh, I'm not going to hurt you." Hao said gently. "I'm sorry for touching you, but I do not want you hurting yourself." Yoh looked up at him then and Hao saw that his face was wet with tears. The expression of anguish on his face made his heart hurt. "I promise I will do everything I can to make you safe. I promise I will never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

Yoh stared at him, confused, but it was a step up from terror so Hao was willing to take it. Yoh wasn't trying to pull away from him, nor was he shaking anymore. He decided to take a chance and released one of Yoh's hand, using his freed hand to draw Yoh close, into an embrace. Yoh stiffened for a moment and then went lax, promptly bursting into tears.

Hao gathered him closely, rubbing his back gently, murmuring god only knows what to try and calm him down. Yoh latched onto him, burying his face in Hao's chest, his sobs shaking his still frail frame. Hao saw Faust standing at the door and gestured at him to wait. Slowly Yoh's sobs died out and Hao could feel exhaustion settling in.

"Sleep, Yoh, you'll feel better when you wake." Whether or not Yoh actually listened or if he was just too worn out to do anything else, he did fall asleep after a few more minutes. Hao gestured Faust in and laid Yoh down on the floor on his stomach, gently pulling his shirt up.

"Well, it's not as bad as it could have been." Faust commented, inspecting the bruising, scratches, and shallow cuts that Yoh's clawing had caused. "There's not much blood, I do not think he needs to be bandaged. Just keep his shirt off and keep him on his stomach for now, let them scab over."

"Alright." Hao agreed, lifting Yoh up and settling him down on his bed.

"You may have had a breakthrough with him just now." Faust observed.

"I'm not going to get my hopes up too much. It's like Kay says, one day he might allow something, the next day he might not, and we have to respect that."

"Ja, ja." Faust agreed. Hao stood up.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone to deal with." He said, gritting his teeth against the anger that pulsed in his skull.

"I am coming with you." Faust said decisively.

"Why?" Hao asked.

"I want to see this retribution." Faust hissed. Hao nodded his head in assent.

"Find Blocken, tell me where he is." Hao ordered one of the cat spirits that hung around him. It mewed and vanished. Hao and Faust walked through the halls, gaining more followers as they went. "What's this?" He asked them.

"We wanna be there, Hao-sama. He been talking shit for days, we wanna show him that none of us like what he did." Bill explained, looking somewhat sheepish. The Hanagumi girls nodded and Luchist just looked grim.

"No Opacho?"

"Asked her to stay with Kay and Alyss." Bill said. "Figured a little tyke like her didn't need to see what was gonna happen. Besides, she'll keep those two girls distracted, Kay got that scary look on her face when I told her what happened."

Hao thought privately he'd like to see what Kay would do to Blocken if given the chance, but decided that he would be merciful, just this once. The cat spirit came back, flicking its tail for Hao to follow. Hao walked, feeling the combined grim thoughts of his followers behind him. He didn't think he'd ever seen such a show of loyalty from them.

"Blocken." The little man flinched, on the verge of crossing Hao's wards that marked the end of his land. "Strange, I thought you would have gotten further."

"Couldn't bring himself to leave, the coward." Kanna taunted. Blocken's eyes darted from each stoic face.

"It-it was just a joke, just having a little fun with the brat. With all that he put you through, Hao-sama, I thought you'd like that." Blocken protested.

"Did I not order him not to be touched?" Hao demanded. "Did I not make that perfectly clear? I don't like having my orders disobeyed Blocken, and you nearly cost us all the work we've done."

"What work?" Blocken demanded shrilly. "That brat has given us nothing useful. Didn't you want to find where his little friends were hiding? And what about those humans that you let run the library? He's going soft!" Blocken declared shrilly. "Consulting with the vermin, we should rise up against him, he's been tainted by them."

"We happen to like the vermin you're talking about." Kanna said quietly, though her eyes were contemptuous as she looked on Blocken. "They have honour, courage, things you are severely lacking in."

"What, those insects?!"

"Those insects have refused to be cowed by us, and they have spoken their minds when they felt it was needed." Hao said. "Something that I can admire, even in humans. You, however, I do not admire, and you have hurt my brother as well. I cannot allow that to stand. I would simply banish you, but I do not want your filth tainting this earth even further."

"You can't… I'm sorry, please, I won't do it again!" Blocken begged. Hao merely lifted a hand carelessly, and Blocken screamed as fire engulfed him. It was over within minutes. "Spirit of Fire, just let that one go, he'll give you indigestion."


	26. Chapter 26

Star: I own nothing

Hao kept checking in on Yoh, waiting for him to wake, but it wasn't until the next morning that Yoh began to stir. He padded quietly into the room and sat down on the floor as Yoh blinked his eyes open. Hao could see the scratches on his back at this angle; they looked better than they had last night.

"Good morning." He said softly, hoping not to frighten his brother. Yoh looked at him and sat up, staring at Hao quizzically. Hao reached out a hand, but stopped himself. "May I?" He asked, keeping his hand outstretched but not touching Yoh.

Yoh gazed at him for a long moment, dark eyes wary. Hao saw in them a depth of intelligence that he'd never associated with Yoh. How much had he overlooked when he decided Yoh was nothing but his other half? Finally Yoh nodded his head.

Hao reached out and cupped one of Yoh's cheeks in his hand, rubbing his thumb gently against the skin there. Yoh continued to stare at him, openly curious now. Hao sighed, he wished he didn't have to tell Yoh what he'd done, but to hide it from him would be worse.

"I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, and you might hate me more for this." He said quietly. Yoh frowned slightly at him. "I killed the man that was tormenting you." Yoh inhaled sharply, but didn't pull away. "It wasn't just because of you, though that was the straw that broke the camel's back. He's been a problem for some time, but it wasn't enough for me to justify dealing with it. I couldn't let him stay, but I also couldn't just let him leave, he was too dangerous to be allowed to run wild."

Yoh blinked at him, tilting his head slightly. His hand came up and pressed over the hand that was cupping his cheek. Hao let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. "Is this forgiveness?" He asked. Yoh smiled at him slightly. "Thank you. You won't have to worry about anyone else harming you, they all seem to like you."

Yoh nodded his head, biting at his lip. The two of them sat like that for a couple minutes and then Yoh moved to get up. "Heading to the library?" Hao asked as Yoh pulled on some clothes. Yoh nodded his head. "I'll accompany you, I need to talk to Kay."

Yoh nodded again and headed out of the room. Hao followed and caught up, walking beside Yoh. Yoh gave him a sideways glanced, but didn't edge away from him like he had before. They made it to the library and Yoh wandered over to the kids' corner. Hao went to find Kay.

"I am royally pissed off at you." That was Kay's first comment of the day to him.

"I wanted it to be quick, you would have drawn it out." Hao replied, resisting the urge to laugh. Her eyes narrowed at him. "You will be happy to know that he seems, and I say seems because I know it can change at a moment's notice, but he seems to be alright with me. I can touch him without him having a freak out."

"Don't get cocky." Kay warned him.

"I'm well aware." Hao said huffily.

"I'm only saying because it seems to be one of your fatal flaws, being cocky." Kay pointed out.

"You've been talking to Yoh about me, haven't you?" Hao guessed. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm surprised you haven't punched me."

"Do I look stupid to you?" Kay queried, raising an eyebrow in an imitation of Hao's favourite expression.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Hao asked in reply. She stared at him for a moment and then rolled her eyes.

"In any case, I'll keep an eye on him. He might not seem stressed now, but that could change again." Kay said.

"Thank you, Kay." Hao said, preparing to leave. "Your help is, and has been, most invaluable to me."

"You know, I'm actually starting to believe it when you say things like that." She commented. Hao shook his head as he left the library.

"So am I, so am I."

%&%&%&%

Kay walked over to where Yoh was reading and sat down. "How are you feeling this morning? I understand you had quite the episode yesterday." She said.

"I actually feel pretty good, all things considered." Yoh replied. "But…"

"What is it?" Kay coaxed.

"I feel… confused." Yoh said slowly.

"About…?" Kay prompted.

"Hao." Yoh replied.

"You wouldn't be alone in that." Kay admitted. "What's got you so confused?"

"It's… I'm starting to think he actually cares what happens to me." Yoh explained, looking at Kay with worried dark eyes. "Am I crazy for thinking that?"

"Hm, let's think about this." Kay replied. "So far he's respected your boundaries, allowed you to scream at him to go away, personally dealt with the man who decided to torment you, held you in his arms while you freaked out, and still is respecting your boundaries. What does that tell you?"

"It does sound like he cares." Yoh admitted. "But I don't understand, why?"

"That's not really something I can help with, to be honest. I know about as much about him as you do." Kay shrugged.

"He listens to you." Yoh commented, his voice wondering. "I've noticed that. He respects you." He shook his head. "That's confusing too, because you're not a shaman and Hao shouldn't respect you at all, because of the way he thinks. What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything but refuse to take any bullshit from him or anyone else." Kay replied. "Seemingly that's earned his respect, I don't know how."

"He admires courage. Too many people are just outright afraid of him." Yoh smiled slightly. The smile faded again. "There's something else though, that's bothering me."

"Yes?" Kay prompted.

"He killed someone, but I can't bring myself to feel horrified by it." Yoh explained.

"Maybe because he did it to protect people?" Kay suggested. "Sometimes killing is the only option."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Yoh asked.

"Yes." Kay answered. "First time to protect my sister and I from a man that would have violated us and second to protect Opacho from being killed."

"Was that… hard for you to do? Do you regret it?" Yoh asked, looking at her, wide-eyed.

"To be honest I don't really remember the instances very well. I was in a bit of a blind rage. As for regrets… I wish I hadn't had to do it, but the alternatives were much worse." Kay said.

"Thanks Kay." Yoh said.

"That's what I'm here for." Kay replied.

"Hello, the library!" Bill called, marching in with a grin on his face. Yoh got a thoughtful look on his face and then stood up, facing Bill. Bill blinked at him a couple times. "Hello Yoh-sama." Yoh gazed up at him for a moment and then rising up on tiptoes, hugged him.

"Thank you, for rescuing me." Kay heard him say before he let go.

"Well, okay." Bill grinned sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Wasn't nothing, really. I mean you saved my skin once, figured it was time to return the favour."

"For whatever reason you did it, thank you." Yoh said, smiling. Bill grinned and then winced as Alyss came up behind him and punched him.

"I'm mad at you." She said.

"Why's that, li'l bit?" Bill asked, chuckling.

"I didn't get to see that little bastard get flame-broiled." Alyss replied.

"Li'l bit, you are kind of scary sometimes." Bill laughed. Alyss grinned evilly at him and wandered off again. Mari discreetly followed her. "Sometimes I wonder about her." Bill informed Kay.

"I've been wondering about that child for years." Kay sighed, shaking her head. "What are you looking for today, Bill?"


	27. Chapter 27

Star: I own nothing

"It's a nice day out." Hao commented. Yoh looked up from the book he was reading, looked out of the library window at the clear blue sky and nodded his head in agreement. This was what Hao had been doing the last few days, starting conversations with his brother to try to get him to respond. So far Yoh hadn't said a word, but he also hadn't made any indication that he didn't want Hao to talk to him, so Hao considered that progress.

"I think Alyss is flirting with Mari." Hao said conspiratorially, flicking his eyes up to the second floor where Alyss and Mari were having a conversation. Alyss was definitely leaning into Mari's space a little more than necessary. Yoh let out a brief snort of laughter. "I don't think Mari knows quite what to do about it."

Yoh gave him a quizzical look and Hao didn't have to be able to read his mind to figure out what he was thinking. Yoh was wondering what Hao might do if Mari decided that she did indeed like Alyss in a romantic manner. Hao was surprised that he didn't find the idea appalling at all.

"Is it bad that I've been able to figure out what your expressions mean in only a couple of days?" He asked Yoh. Yoh raised his eyebrows, clearing saying 'oh really?' "Yes, really." Yoh let out a short laugh. "Told you." Hao said smugly. Yoh rolled his eyes. "Now you're thinking that I'm a smug asshole."

"I got books!" Bill declared, walking into the library with three large boxes stacked one on top of the other in his arms. He dropped them with a thump on the floor. "Took me a bit, went to some different libraries 'cause we wanted more Terry Pratchett, Stephen King and stuff."

"You did good Bill." Kay said, walking over to deal with the boxes. "I can deal with this myself, Alyss." She called up to the second floor. Alyss gave her a thumbs-up and continued flirting. Yoh got up to find another book to read and Hao wandered over to Kay.

"I have a feeling he'll actually start talking with me soon." He commented.

"Possibly." Kay said absentmindedly, starting to sort through the first box. "You notice the heat and the air pressure lately?"

"Yeah, storm's coming." Hao agreed. "How do you know that?"

"Headaches." Kay replied. "Comes in handy I suppose…" She trailed off as she stared at the book in her hand. Hao felt her mind go completely still, like a mouse caught in the gaze of a snake. Slowly she flipped open the page of the book, where there was a written inscription that looked as though it were written by a child. He saw a name, something like Bri, before Kay shut the book quickly.

She gasped, as though she could not breathe. "Kay?" Hao asked. She did not respond, her eyes wide and staring at nothing. "Kay?" Hao asked again, lightly touching her arm. When that got no reaction from her, and at the moment Hao would have welcomed a snarl or even an attempt to punch him, he pushed into her mind, trying to see what was the matter. He wasn't expecting her mind to latch onto his, drawing him directly in….

_Work, work, work, that's all there is. People wonder why I hate summers. Look up, smile at the customer, give them their food. Just another day working at McDonalds, I suppose. Another customer comes up, wanting a Big Extra; we haven't sold those for years and she looks disappointed when I tell her that. She orders a Quarter Pounder instead and I ring it up before wandering off to grab her food. _

_Kelsey comes on, telling me to go take my break. Thank goodness, my feet are sore. Not used to being on them for so long anymore thanks to school. I head to the back, where my lunch is waiting for me. I sit down and sigh. The store phone rings, I ignore it, that's the manager's problem. I take out my headphones, but my manager starts sounding angry and I listen. _

"_What? You're fucking kidding me, get off the phone you jokers." I hear her slam down the phone hard. Lunch can wait, I suppose, and meander out of the breakroom._

"_Who was that?" _

"_Some idiots who think it's funny to call and joke about some attack by invisible monsters." Mo rolls her eyes at me and I laugh, shaking my head. The phone rings again and she sighs. She picks it up and listens, a strange expression coming over her face. All the sudden someone's cellphone goes off up front, and then another and another. I can hear snippets of conversation._

"_What do you mean an attack?"_

"_Monsters-"_

"_People are being slashed-"_

"_Where are the police?" _

_The music cuts out and a frantic sounding announcer comes on the radio, talking about attacks going on all over the world and that the military's not responding and that people should run or hide. I stare at my manager as the phone falls from her fingers. _

"_Tell everyone to either get out or hide in the freezer." Mo tells me. I run up front and relay the news. Many people leave, others stay and follow me to the freezer, which has been turned off. Mo joins us after a couple minutes and we all huddle together, not sure what's going to happen. Screams and explosions start and I bite at my hand to keep from babbling, screaming, fainting, or all three. _

_I don't know how long we're there, I'm too scared to look at my watch, thinking it might give us away, as unlikely as it seems. The screams and the sounds stop, except for the frantic shriek of car alarms. "If I'm not back in five minutes, stay in for longer." Mo says, slipping out of the freezer. I can hear my heart beating in my ears as we wait. Someone gasps as the door opens again, it might be me, I don't know, but it's Mo and she motions that it's safe. _

_I'm out of here, I think, finding my bike. I need to get home, I need to know my family is alright. The street is eerily quiet, and there are overturned cars every along with… Don't look at the bodies, don't look at the bodies, just get home. It's going to be alright, don't look at the bodies. _

_My lungs and thighs burn, I'm peddling faster than I ever had, but it doesn't matter. Nothing else matters but getting home. Cars have been thrown into houses and scattered across the sidewalks, but I don't even slow down. Ignore the bodies, don't look at the bodies. Blood pounds in my head and I gasp for air, but I will not stop._

_I drop my bike on the sidewalk and run up to the house, throwing open the door. I can't get the breath to scream and the house is silent, too silent. There's a half-eaten sandwich on the kitchen table. Cold dread seeps through me. I swallow my fear and step quietly through the house. I'm too chicken to go into the basement. _

_I climb the stairs, turning with them and stop. Dad, Daddy, he's sprawled at the top of the stairs, not moving. I edge closer and see that his arms are outstretched, as though he'd been trying to protect something. I try not to look at the deep slashes in his belly. My daddy is dead, eyes staring up at the ceiling. I choke, but edge past him._

_Mom, she's in the hallway, dead. She's on her side. I can't see her wounds, but there's blood on the floor. I'm trembling now, and gasping. I think I'm about to have an asthma attack, my first in years, and I don't even have an inhaler anymore. _

"_Hullo?" I jump at the voice. _

"_Bri?" I manage to croak out. _

"_Kay?" A surge of relief floods me and I nearly collapse from relief._

"_You're alive?" I ask, moving carefully towards her voice in the bedroom. "Thank god, thank…" I trail off. My little sister is lying on the floor, one hand pressed to her abdomen and a pool of blood spreading around her. She smiles at me._

"_I'm glad they didn't get you too." She whispers. _

"_I'm going to call an ambulance, you're going to be alright." I say firmly. She shakes her head._

"_Kay, I already tried." She says. "No one's answering." I take her cellphone anyways, and dial. The phone rings, and rings, and rings. I try again, panic rising in my throat like bile. A hand grips mine and I stop. "Kay, it's alright."_

"_It's not alright, how can you say that?" I demand. "Just keep pressure on it, you're going to get through this, okay?" She shakes her head at me again. _

"_You know I love you, right?" She asks me. "I mean, all those times, all those things I said, you know I didn't mean them, right?"_

"_We're sisters, Bri, we're supposed to be mean to each other. Please stop talking like you're going to… going to…" I can't bring myself to say it. "You're my stubborn, energizer bunny of a little sister and I love you."_

"_And you're my weird but Gryffindor big sister." She smiles at me. I try to smile back, but I'm trembling, tears trying to break free. "Kay, promise me something."_

"_Anything."_

"_Alyss, I know she'll make it through, she's clever, probably the most clever of us, she'll make it. Promise me… promise me you'll take care of her, that you'll never let anything happen to her." _

"_I promise, I promise." I whisper, barely able to get the words out. Bri sighs, relieved. _

"_Kay, will you sing to me? Like you used to?" Bri asks, her voice weak. I don't know if I can get the sound out, but I try. _

_Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Sissy's gonna buy you a mockingbird._

_And if that mockingbird won't sing, Sissy's gonna buy you a diamond ring._

_And if that diamond ring turns brass, Sissy's gonna buy you a looking glass._

_And if that looking glass gets broke, Sissy's gonna buy you a billy goat,_

_And if that billy goat don't pull, Sissy's gonna buy you a cart and bull._

_And if that cart and bull turn over, Sissy's gonna buy you a dog named Rover._

_And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Sissy's gonna buy you a horse and cart._

_And if that horse and cart fall down, You'll still be the sweetest kid in town_

_When the song is done I look down again. Bri's eyes are still open, but her blue-grey eyes are empty, dull. The tears come and I howl in grief. I've failed as a big sister, my baby sister is dead, I've failed, she's gone, I've failed…_

Hao forcibly wrenched himself from Kay's mind, gasping and trying to reorient himself. His efforts were cut short by a sharp punch to his stomach. He doubled over, gasping for air.

"You asshole." He heard Kay snarled, though the sound was strangely choked. He looked up and found that she was crying, tears seeping down her face.

"I'm-"

"Don't, just don't." Kay gasped. She put her face in her hands, sobbing brokenly. Hao was shoved roughly out of the way and Alyss wrapped her arms around her sister, glaring heatedly at Hao. Hao decided it was time to leave, allowing the two sisters to grieve in peace.


	28. Chapter 28

Star: I own nothing

The night had been bad. The storm had rolled in just after dark and thunder boomed overhead for hours. Hao was grateful that Yoh allowed him to hold him during the storm, but the downside of that was that Hao had gotten almost no sleep at all. Yoh was apologetic about it this morning, but Hao didn't care to be honest.

There had been another reason he couldn't sleep. Kay's memory kept him up, hovering at the forefront of his mind along with the sound of anguish she'd let out. It reminded him too much of the sound he had made once, so long ago now. It reminded him of things that he'd tried to bury, but could never completely escape.

"You want to head to the library?" Hao asked Yoh. Yoh gave him a look that clearly said 'you sure you want to risk that?' "You're about to see history in the making, brother." Yoh gave him a suspicious look, but Hao was already on his way out of the room. Yoh followed after him, shaking his head.

"I need to speak with you." Hao said quietly to Kay when he got to the library. She looked at him, her face completely devoid of emotion, though her eyes were bloodshot. Hao gestured for her to follow and sat down on the window seat. After a moment Kay sat down as well and Yoh sat down on her other side, watching Hao.

"I want to apologize-"

"For what?" Kay interrupted, a spark of anger flashing in her eyes. "For invading my mind and forcing me to relive that?"

"Well… that was actually unintentional, I was trying to get an idea of what was upsetting you and was drawn into the memory against my wishes." Kay glared at him. "Honestly, it was not my intention." He sighed. "I wanted to apologize for your sister-"

"No." Kay snapped.

"No?" Hao repeated, feeling confused.

"Don't apologize to me for that, I'm not special, don't make me special." Kay growled. "Every person left on this planet is like me, everyone's now lost someone because of you. If you're going to apologize to me, you have to apologize to the rest of the human race as well."

"Okay." Kay blinked rapidly a couple times.

"Okay?" She repeated, looking confused.

"Yes, okay." Hao told her. She stared at him, peering into his eyes suspiciously.

"You're serious." She said, sounding astounded. "Why?"

"I lost someone, a long time ago. She was killed because people feared and hated our kind." Hao explained. He sighed. "I have come to realize that I've become the very monster I've been trying to destroy." He rubbed at his face. "I stopped thinking of humans as people. Made myself believe that you were all violent, selfish, uncaring creatures. You changed that."

"How?" Kay demanded sceptically.

"By being you." Hao said, smiling slightly. "Firstly by giving up your freedom to save your sister."

"Anyone would have done that." Kay pointed out.

"I understand that now." Hao said, looking at Yoh. "But at the time it was a foreign concept to me, and you immediately intrigued me. Add to that the fact that you were always kind to Opacho and you were a complete enigma to me. You forced me to change my views on humanity." He placed a careful hand on her knee. "So, thank you, and I am truly sorry for the pain I've caused you."

Kay looked lost, the confused expression on her face making her look years younger. Yoh placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. "Tell me about her." He coaxed. Kay stared at him, uncomprehendingly. "You've shown me that talking helps. Please, let me help you like you've helped me." Kay sighed quietly.

"Her name was Brianna, but we all called her Bri. She was a big girl, tall and muscular, the kind of girl that looks like she could kick your ass. She had long blonde hair. We looked nothing alike, except for our eyes, they were the same colour." Kay paused, swallowing thickly. "She was a pain in the ass and when she was bored she'd bother me or Alyss until we lost our tempers. She herself had a wicked temper and often got into physical fights with Alyss when they were mad."

"But you loved her." Yoh said.

"Of course I did. We didn't like a lot of the same things, but we still found things to talk about. She pushed me to try new things and put up with my ramblings even when she had no idea what I was talking about. She had such determination and I admired her for that. I remember a tiny little girl practicing soccer drills for hours in the backyard until she got them right." Kay blinked away tears. "She was going into the Air Force, and was about to be deployed in Iraq. I was so afraid that she'd go and we'd get a letter saying she was missing in action or that she'd died. I never thought I'd be watching her die."

"I know, I know." Yoh soothed. "Tell me a good memory you have of her."

"There's lots of those." Kay said. "One Christmas when she was really little she decided she wanted to see one of the ornaments on the tree. Well, the whole thing came crashing down and she just bolted out of the room, soother in her mouth and blankie trailing behind her. We never let her live that one down."

"She pulled down a Christmas tree, really?" Yoh laughed. It was good to hear. Kay's expression softened.

"There was also the time she decided it was a good idea to climb to the very top of the jungle gym and decided she couldn't get back down again, so dad had to rescue her." Kay added. There was a smile struggling to live on her face. "She was always the boldest one of the three of us, and it made for some funny situations."

"She sounds like she was an exciting person." Yoh commented.

"She certainly had way too much energy. Left you tired just watching her." Her mouth twitched upward again. "I keep picturing this tiny little girl, because she was small before she hit her growth spurt, running circles around the bigger girls on the other team in soccer, like some kind of demented energizer bunny."

Yoh laughed outright at that description and in that moment the smile broke across Kay's face and she laughed briefly and then clapped both hands over her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking.

"Kay?" Yoh asked, rubbing her shoulder. "It's okay to laugh. Would Bri want you to keep grieving like this?"

"No." Kay admitted in a small voice. She rubbed at her nose. "She'd probably whack me over the head for being stupid and tell me to quit crying."

"She's in a better place." Yoh said. "I know people say that all the time, but I know these things, trust me, she's in a good place."

Kay sniffed. "I stopped living after she died and was just surviving." She said. "I get here and I start to live again." She smiled again, a small, tentative thing. "This is a fucked up world."

"I won't disagree with that." Yoh said. Hao sighed softly, this disaster of a conversation seemed to be going alright now. Kay turned her attention to him, gazing at him as though trying to see what his soul might reveal to her.

"I am sorry." He said, at a loss for anything else to say. He wasn't good with dealing with things like this.

"I guess you are." Kay admitted. "I can't forgive you, there's too much pain still for that, so don't ask me."

"I won't." Hao promised.

"I respect you though." She added. "What are you going to do now?" She asked. "Since you no longer consider humans to be the monsters."

"I suppose… I suppose I have to let all of you go free." Hao acknowledged. "It wouldn't be right to keep you here against your wills."

"And if we wanted to stay?" Kay asked.

"You'd be welcome. I don't think things would change much, but you'd officially be on equal footing with me and my followers. As would anyone else who chose to stay." Hao said. "I doubt many will." Kay shrugged her shoulders.

"You might be surprised."


	29. Chapter 29

Star: I own nothing

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Hao muttered to himself as his followers assembled the humans that worked for him.

"_I_ can't believe you're doing this." Kay said back. She leaned against the porch railing, gazing at him impassively.

"What?" Hao asked.

"Thought you could read my mind?" Kay replied. Hao had come clean about his abilities to her. She'd been a little annoyed and somewhat impressed that he hadn't killed her after being able to hear her thoughts about him.

"I prefer not to read the minds of those I trust." Hao explained. Kay's mouth twitched slightly in a derisive smirk. "Yeah, it's an odd thought for me too."

"You'd better get out there, looks like everyone's here." Kay pointed out. Hao sighed and went out. He felt the ripple of apprehension go through the people assembled. Keep it simple, he thought to himself.

He explained quietly that he'd been wrong about them, that he'd been shown he was in error. He told them that they were free to go, but that if they chose to stay they could do so. The difference would be that they would be considered equals as opposed to slaves and masters. The areas that had been off limits before would be made available to all, and they would be working on decent quarters for everyone. They would still asked to help out around the place, as they were living there. Freeloaders would be kicked out.

Silence met his words. He didn't expect them to believe him right away. It would take time for them to believe this was real. "What do you think?" He asked Kay.

"You're the mind reader, not me." She reminded him. "They're sceptical, which they should be, but I did see a few looking quite thoughtful."

"Probably the best I can hope for." Hao murmured.

"You and yours were never unnecessarily cruel to us, you never withheld food or played games with us, you didn't take the women, or the men, for pleasure, so you have that going for you." Kay said. "All I can tell you is treat them like you would Yoh, let them come to you, not the other way around. Some will likely try and test you by not doing the work."

"I will make good on my promise to kick anyone out who does not do their fair share." Hao said.

"Can you keep them out?" Kay asked.

"That's what the wards are for. Had you tried to enter the property with the intent to harm or steal you would have been blocked." Hao said, puffing up with pride. "I made the spell myself."

"Watch that ego of yours, your head will inflate and make you float away." Kay informed him. "If you're done dragging me away from my real job…" Hao waved her off. He took a few minutes to make sure every one of his followers knew that they were to help out with the chores from now on and then headed to the library.

Kay was in the middle of reading Thud, her devoted audience hanging onto her every word. Hao listened with interest. He noticed that the emotional range that Kay was able to portray through her reading had expanded. Kay left off at a point where the dwarf that Commander Vimes had been questioning had died in fear.

"I suppose we should make it official." He said, sidling up to Kay.

"What?" She sighed.

"You and Alyss as official Librarians." Hao explained.

"Do we get name tags?" Kay asked sarcastically.

"Mind your manners." Hao admonished.

"I don't have to anymore, remember?"

"I'm going to regret this decision, aren't I?" Hao sighed. Kay gave him a predatory smile.

"Most likely."

%&%&%&%

It was going to be another stormy night, Hao thought to himself, looking out the window. He got ready for bed and paused when the door between his and Yoh's room slid open. He looked up and found Yoh standing there, clutching a pillow to his chest and looking worried.

"Come in." Hao coaxed. Yoh padded in and sat down on the floor, looking out the window nervously. "Not happy about the storm, huh?"

Yoh shook his head and hugged his pillow tighter. He jumped slightly as a small peal of thunder sounded far away. Hao scratched his head, trying to think of ways to put Yoh at ease. He was always the most calm when listening to Kay read, though Hao didn't have a book on him.

"It's not really fair that I know almost everything about your life and you know almost nothing about mine, is it?" Hao asked. Yoh looked up at him, confused. Hao smiled slightly. "Would you like to hear a funny story?"

Yoh tilted his head at him. "It's from this lifetime." Hao said. Yoh looked interested. "I kept mostly out of the way of cities and technology for some time, but that's not something that could have lasted. There was a wealth of information to be had on the internet and I was determined to teach myself how to use it."

Yoh snorted with laughter and then flinched as another low rumble of thunder sounded. "I think we can all figure out where this is going." Hao said with a chuckle. "I still don't know how I did it to this day, but I remember clicking on something and all the sudden there was sex on my computer." Yoh laughed out loud at that. "It gets better. I was in a library… and I was five."

Yoh laughed even harder, burying his face in his pillow to stifle his giggles. Hao smiled, triumphantly thinking he'd successfully distracted Yoh. Of course that was then thunder decided to boom right overhead, shaking the house.

Yoh lunged forward, grabbing onto Hao, clutching onto him like a small child. Hao rubbed Yoh's back gently, whispering soothing words to him. Yoh let out a tiny whimper at the next massive thunderclap and buried his face in Hao's yukata. Thankfully the storm didn't last long and Yoh let go of Hao, looking embarrassed.

"Some storm, huh?" Hao commented lightly. Yoh smiled slightly at him. "I don't mind you grabbing me, just make sure I can still breathe, okay?" Yoh ducked his head, smiling sheepishly and nodded. Yoh leaned up against Hao, yawning and clutching at his pillow again. Hao hummed softly, watching Yoh's eyes droop closed. He didn't mind if he was going to be uncomfortable for the night.

%&%&%&%

Hao woke up to find Yoh staring at himself in the mirror, touching his long hair. "Would you like it cut?" Hao asked, padding up behind him. Yoh looked back at him and shook his head. "Wonder what your friends would think of it?" Hao mused. Yoh looked down and Hao mentally smacked himself. "I'm sorry, you miss them, don't you?" Yoh nodded his head. Hao thought for a moment and sighed, it wasn't fair to Yoh to not give him this option.

"Would you like to go back to them?" He asked Yoh. Yoh turned around, looking startled. "I'd rather not keep you here against your will, if you want to go back, I won't stop you." Yoh immediately started shaking his head. "No?"

"I'm not ready." Yoh told him. Hao blinked rapidly a couple times, startled that Yoh was talking directly to him for the first time.

"You're not ready." Hao repeated.

"Everyone here knows my triggers, they understand me." Yoh said. "My friends are great, but they expect things of me, and even if they understood that I need time to cope, I'd still feel pressured to lead again. Besides, what's to stop the X-Laws from getting me again there? We don't have the wards like you do and I don't think any of us have the power to make them as strong as you have."

"Probably not." Hao agreed. "You really want to stay?"

"I'm safe here, you and Kay make me feel safe." Yoh stressed. "Kay knows how to deal with my issues, she's trained to do that, and I don't think we have anyone like that where my friends are."

"I make you feel safe?" Hao repeated, feeling a little gobsmacked. Yoh shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"Yeah, I mean you make sure I'm all right, you let me hang onto you when I'm feeling afraid and I'm pretty sure you told Kay to help me in the first place." Hao grinned slightly at that.

"You're smarter than I thought you were… that came out wrong."

"No, I understand." Yoh replied. He hugged Hao tightly. "Thank you for caring about me." Hao could feel himself smiling dopily.

"I blame Kay for that."


	30. Chapter 30

Star: I own nothing

It was a couple of days before Hao noticed the humans starting to relax. His first indication that any of them actually believed his speech was an old man coming up to him. He had a farmer's face, weathered and tanned, his still thick hair white as snow under the ball cap he wore.

"Mornin' boss." He said in a thick southern drawl, tipping his hat politely.

"Good morning… forgive me, I don't know your name." Hao said.

"Just call me ole Willie, everybody does." Ole Willy said. "I wanted to ask you about the crops."

"Yes?"

"How was you plannin' on doing them next year?" Ole Willy asked.

"Same as this year, I suppose, I hadn't given much thought to it." Hao admitted.

"Might I make some suggestions?"

"Of course, this is your home as well as mine." Hao said.

"Burn what parts of the crops you don't use and mix the ashes in with the soil. You put nutrients back in the soil that way. Also, rotate your crops, don't put the same type of crop in the same place year after year, because different crops use different nutrients you avoid leaching the soil completely." Ole Willy explained.

"That's a good idea, thank you, Willy, I would not have thought of that." Hao said.

"Figured as much." Ole Willy said amiably. "Thought I might check out that library of yours, seeing as it's okay now."

"Have a good day, Willy."

"You too boss." Ole Willy replied, ambling off, whistling to himself. Hao shook his head in bemusement and continued on his rounds around the property. They'd begun work on the updated sleeping quarters, and there was a little less open space, but it was coming along nicely in Hao's opinion.

Coming around he was surprised to see Yoh sitting in the shade of a tree, reading a book. There was no one else around him, which was unusual. "Don't see you very often out here." Hao commented, walking up to Yoh. Yoh looked up and smiled at him.

"Alyss said I was starting to look like Edward Cullen." He said.

"Who?" Hao asked.

"Character from a book called Twilight. Alyss calls him a fail-pire." He chuckled at Hao's blank look. "Edward's supposed to be a vampire, but he sparkles in the sunlight as opposed to burning in it. That, among other things, is why Alyss calls him a fail-pire. I'd advise not getting her going about it, she'll go into full rant mode."

"Scary thought." Hao commented, sitting down next to his brother. "Still, it surprises me that you're out here alone."

"I can't stay afraid forever." Yoh murmured.

"No, I know, I didn't mean…"

"I know." Yoh said quietly, smiling at him.

"What are you reading?" Hao asked.

"Harry Potter." Yoh answered. "I'd been meaning to get into it, but I was always so busy."

"Funny how that works, isn't it?" Hao commented. Yoh nodded his head vaguely, engrossed in his book. The two brothers sat there in tranquility for some time. Hao then remembered something he wanted to talk to Kay about.

"I've got to go." He said, placing a hand on Yoh's shoulder. Yoh nodded his head absentmindedly. Hao stood and headed for the library. Kay was in the middle of a conversation with a young woman Hao didn't recognise. They finished talking and the woman scurried off, clutching a book to her chest.

"Need something?" Kay asked.

"Yes, I need to show you something." Hao said. Kay shrugged her shoulders and followed him. He led her to a small closet and placed his hand on the door, feeling it unlock. He opened the door to reveal all the weapons that had been confiscated from the humans. Kay looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"This closet is spelled to open only for certain people." Hao explained. "I modified the spell this morning to include you and your sister."

Kay gave him an incredulous look. "You're giving me and Alyss access to guns?" She asked him. "You going crazy?"

"I trust you." Hao said simply.

"Well, now I know you're crazy." Kay said, giving him a mocking smile.

"I thought we'd established this when we met and I chose to take your deal?" Hao replied.

"Hmm, yes, the deal with the devil." Kay intoned.

"Who was the devil?" Hao asked, raising an eyebrow. Kay let out a short laugh.

"Maybe two devils made a deal with each other." She suggested.

"I think perhaps they did." Hao agreed. "But it seems to have worked out all the same."

"Indeed." Kay looked at the closet. "So what do I do, just touch it?"

"Yes, it will unlock at your touch." Hao said.

"Why?" Kay asked.

"In case you need to defend yourself." Hao said, as though this should have been obvious. "Or Yoh."

"In case you or the other shamans aren't around." Kay guessed.

"Precisely. I know that you're perfectly willing to use lethal force if you deem it necessary and I prefer Alyss with a gun than with any other weapon." Hao said bluntly. Kay snorted.

"That's probably wise." She admitted. "Are you planning on being away any time soon?" She asked.

"No, I just felt that it would be prudent that you know about this, just in case." Hao said.

"_I_ think you feel like something's going to happen soon." Kay declared. "Am I wrong?"

"Admittedly no." Hao said. "How do you know?"

"I'm a psychiatrist, I'm supposed to pay attention to people's queues." Kay answered. "You seem a little distracted, a little twitchy, and therefore I get the impression that you're on the lookout for trouble."

"It's been too quiet." Hao said. "The X-Laws gave up Yoh without much of a fight and they haven't been back since."

"And that makes you nervous."

"Damn right it does. Those crazies have a personal vendetta against me, it's not like them to just back off." Hao explained. "I've got people to worry about now, and I'd rather be as prepared as I can."

"Makes sense." Kay conceded. "I would like a chance at them if they ever showed up."

"You wouldn't stand a chance in a fight." Hao warned. "The gun is to distract them so you and others can get away."

"Will do, but don't think I won't be aiming at their heads as I do so." Kay said.

"I'd expect nothing less." Hao chuckled. "But seriously, if they do somehow get past my wards and go after anyone but me, get out. Don't try and fight, just get out, get everyone out."

"You're trusting me with this." Kay said softly.

"I am." Hao said. "You are one of my best now." Kay gave him a slight half-smile. "As strange as that is to say."

Kay looked at the closet and closed the door, letting it lock. "I hope that we never have to use them."

"Hope to god?" Hao asked. Kay sighed.

"I stopped believing in god the day my sister died in my arms."


	31. Chapter 31

Star: I own nothing

Hao was going around, checking the wards. Apparently Yoh thought it was a good idea to go with him and now was trailing after him like a duckling. The visual made Hao smile and he looked back at Yoh, who smiled at him. The boy trailing after him was a far cry from the wasted, terrified creature that had come to him only a little while before.

Yoh's skin glowed pink with health and he'd begun to fill out again, no longer gaunt. His posture was still hunched, but the lines of his body were a lot more relaxed than they had been. He would probably never be the same carefree creature he once was, but he was healing, he was getting stronger, and that was all that Hao could ask.

He noticed Alyss and Mari taking their own little walk around the property, Alyss with her hand on Mari's back, not even trying for subtlety. Alyss noticed Hao looking and made a rude gesture at him. Hao just smiled and waved at her.

"Come on, looks like the wards are holding nicely." Hao said. Yoh nodded his head in agreement and the two of them turned to go back inside. All the sudden there was a sound like thunder behind them and a wave of force broke over them. Hao grabbed Yoh, curling over him protectively until the sensation faded. Yoh was beginning to breathe rapidly, a preclude to one of his panic modes, so Hao let him go to see what had happened.

He found Marco with his pistol out, the Iron Maiden beside him, and Yoh's friends backing them up. "Wonderful." Hao rolled his eyes. Yoh was cowering behind him, shaking and nearly catatonic with terror.

"Give us back Yoh." Tao demanded. "And we'll leave you alone."

"You brought the X-Laws here, I highly doubt that any of mine here will survive." Hao countered. He considered telling Yoh to run for the house, but someone might grab him, so he couldn't risk it. "Surprises me that you're allowing the X-Laws around you."

"They told us they had the way to get past your wards." Lyserg spat. "So we could take Yoh back from you."

"Enough talk." Marco commanded. "It's time for you to die, demon." Marco cocked his gun and Hao sighed, not liking the idea of killing him in front of Yoh, but if he had to do it… All the sudden a rock whistled through the air and smashed into Marco's hand, making him shriek and drop his gun.

"Nice shot." Hao complimented as Alyss stormed up. She glanced at him, looking annoyed.

"I was aiming for his head." She growled. "But I won't miss a second time." She added, picking up a rock.

"Not yet, please." Hao instructed. Alyss growled at him but didn't throw, tossing the rock from hand to hand. The Iron Maiden stepped forward, opening her mouth, but stopped as Hao heard the sound of a shotgun being pumped behind him. Kay appeared at his side, shotgun aimed at the Iron Maiden. Hao saw Yoh's friends' eyes widen.

"Are you insane, girl? You defend him? Do you know who he is?" Marco shrieked.

"I know perfectly well who he is." Kay's voice was cold as ice and twice as deadly. "He's the reason I held my sister as she bled to death. I could put a bullet through his skull right now and feel no regrets and yet you're the one I'm pointing the gun at."

"You scare me sometimes." Hao commented.

"Good." Kay replied. "Someone has to. This is them?"

"The two in front, the others are his friends." Hao answered.

"Some friends." Alyss muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryu demanded.

"It means that you've teamed up with Yoh's tormentors, or didn't they tell you that part?" Hao asked smoothly. Yoh's friends were beginning to look uncertain.

"Lies." The Iron Maiden said. "Why should we listen to you, demon?"

"So how come Yoh's terrified of you and not me?" Hao asked. "And what else? Oh yes, Yoh could you turn around for me?" Yoh obeyed, turning his back to his friends. "I just want to show them something and then you can go inside, okay?" Yoh nodded his head, still shaking like a leaf. Hao gently lifted the back of Yoh's shirt up, revealing the scars from his torture.

He let Yoh go. "You don't have to stay, Yoh." Kay said gently. "We'll take care of this." Yoh bolted for the house. "I've got Faust on standby, he'll make sure Yoh's alright." She told Hao quietly. Yoh's friends were murmuring amongst themselves now, looking conflicted.

"You cannot believe the monster's lies!" Marco shouted.

"Hao doesn't torture his victims, that's your thing." Ren said quietly.

"This is madness." Marco said, picking his gun up with his good hand. Hao decided that enough was enough and engulfed the X-Laws in flame. They didn't even have time to scream as they were reduced to ash.

"Cool." Alyss commented.

"Why didn't you do that immediately?" Kay asked, sounding exasperated.

"I didn't want to do it in front of Yoh." Hao explained.

"Fair enough I suppose." Kay agreed. She hadn't put the shotgun down and now it was pointed at Yoh's friends.

"Now, we should talk." Hao said to them.

"Why should we listen to you?" Lyserg demanded.

"I could have killed you all, but I didn't. I'm trying to look out for Yoh and I doubt that killing his friends would be good for his state of mind." Hao replied evenly. "If you're interested in what really happened I can tell you. The X-Laws dumped Yoh just outside of my wards, hoping to entice me into a trap. It failed, of course, and we took Yoh in. He was in a bad way, dehydrated, malnourished and covered in marks of abuse. They'd even sewn his eyes and mouth shut before they'd brought him here. We've been working with him, helping him learn to cope with the trauma he experienced."

"Prove it!" Anna demanded.

"Prove it?" Hao repeated, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Let us talk to him ourselves." Ren clarified. Hao looked at Kay, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I can see if he's up for interacting with people, but if he's not I will not force the issue. His health is more important than your suspicions." She informed them. She handed her shotgun to Alyss. "Don't shoot anyone."

"No promises." Alyss replied cheerfully. Kay only shook her head and strode towards the house purposefully.

"Follow me." Hao said curtly, turning his back on Yoh's friends and moving towards the house. Alyss flanked him, shotgun at the ready. "You stay here." He ordered Yoh's friends, indicating the ground in front of the porch. "Try to move onto the porch and I'll let Alyss shoot you, not lethally though."

"Spoilsport." Alyss grumbled. Hao wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. After a few moments Yoh came outside, pale as death, with Kay trailing behind him, looking worried. Yoh's friends immediately surged towards him. Kay moved in front of Yoh, blocking them and Yoh shrank back, shaking. Of course this prompted the idiots to start shouting accusations at Hao, which made Yoh clamp his hands over his ears.

Alyss, apparently having had enough of the shenanigans, fired a warning shot into the air, effectively shutting everyone up. In the silence that followed Yoh let out a strangled whimper. "Yoh, are you with me?" Kay asked, her voice firm. Yoh nodded his head. "Yoh, you don't have to force yourself to do this, if you can't handle it right now, that's fine. Can you handle this right now?" Yoh shook his head, eyes shut tightly. "Do you want to try again tomorrow?" Yoh nodded his head. "Okay, go on inside then."

"I'll deal with this, make sure he's going to be alright, I'll be there in a little bit." Hao said, putting a hand on Kay's shoulder. Kay nodded and followed Yoh inside. "You heard it, you can come back tomorrow and try again."

"WHY?" Anna demanded.

"Because Yoh is in no condition to deal with you and we will not force him to." Hao snarled. "Now, off the property and I will get you tomorrow."

"And if we choose not to go?" Ren demanded. Hao sighed and walked down from the porch, teleporting them all out into the forest.

"Moot point now, don't try to get back in I'm resetting the wards." Hao told them. "I know you don't have the power to get past them so don't try. My mercy only goes so far." He teleported back to where his wards should have been and moved around the perimeter of the property, putting them back in place before heading back inside; he had a brother to take care of.

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	32. Chapter 32

Star: I own nothing

Hao blinked slowly, waking up. He still felt tired and sluggish, but considering he had been up half the night dealing with Yoh it was to be expected. Yoh was still sleeping, curled up against Hao, fingers clenched in his yukata like he was afraid Hao would disappear if he let go. Hao reached out his hand and rubbed Yoh's back gently. Yoh let out a protesting noise and nuzzled his face against Hao's chest.

Hao looked up and found Kay sleeping sitting up against the wall, head propped on one hand. She inhaled deeply and blinked open her eyes. She found him staring and smiled slightly, moving to creep forwards on hands and the balls of her feet. She rested a hand on Yoh's forehead, brushing his hair away with infinite care.

"You think he's ready to face them?" Hao asked in a whisper.

"Impossible to say." Kay replied.

"Thought so, worth a shot to ask though." He sighed. "What should we do now?"

"Keep to routine, it will relax him." Kay answered. "And one of us needs to be around him at all times." She added. Hao nodded his head; Yoh had begged over and over again not to let them take him away, so he would be suffering from separation anxiety for the foreseeable future.

"When do you think I should get his friends?" Hao asked.

"Wait until storytime, he's always happiest then so his stress levels will be down." Kay replied. "Can you get them out quick if he starts to become really agitated?"

"Yeah, teleport's easy." Hao said. Kay looked at him. "What?"

"I'm trying to figure out when my life apparently became an X-Men comic." She responded. Hao chuckled, making Yoh mutter in irritation at being disturbed.

"It's time to wake up, Yoh." Hao said, rubbing Yoh's back again. Yoh grunted in protest. "You'll miss breakfast." Hao admonished. Yoh blinked open his eyes, staring muzzily at Hao. "Good morning, feel better?"

"A bit." Yoh said. "Tired though." He added.

"I'm not surprised." Hao said softly. "Should keep to your regular day though, you'll mess up your sleep patterns otherwise."

"Okay." Yoh said, sitting up. He noticed Kay next to him. "Morning."

"Morning." Kay said. "I got a library to run, so you'll both have to excuse me." She got up, popping her spine as she did so and wandered out. As Hao predicted Yoh was excessively clingy during breakfast and only calmed down a little once they got to the library, but still almost immediately began to follow Kay around, holding onto the stuffed lion, Simba.

Once Kay had gotten started on story time, Hao left, teleporting to where he'd left Yoh's friends yesterday. Several weapons were immediately pointed at him and he rolled his eyes in disgust. "If I'd wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead." He informed them coolly. It was Ren, Ryu, Horohoro, Lyserg and Anna all there.

"Well then?" Anna demanded. "Take us to see Yoh!"

"We're going to have to go over rules first, first and foremost being leave anything that you can use as a weapon behind." Hao told them.

"Excuse me?" Horohoro gasped. "Why the hell would we do that?"

"Because I'm not stupid and I am not risking my people's safety for you." Hao said. "I swear, upon my powers and may they be stricken from me if I lie, that you will not be attacked unprovoked by my or any other shaman under my command while you are on my property."

"Pretty words." Lyserg sneered.

"Not just words, that was a binding oath." Ren explained, laying down his weapons. "He really will lose his power if he goes against it, so do as he says." The others reluctantly placed their weapons on the ground and waited. Hao teleported them back, bringing them just outside the library, where he could hear Kay's voice, reading aloud.

"The other ground rules are you do not touch Yoh without his permission, you do not ask about what the X-Laws did to him and you keep the noise level low." Hao said quietly. "Is that understood?" Once he got nods of confirmation he led them inside. "We wait until she's done reading."

"…and screamed NO! THAT. IS. NOT. MY. COW!" Kay yelled out. "The words echoed around the cavern and broke through mere rock, so great was the force behind them, melted mere mountains, screamed across the miles and in the somber nursery Young Sam stopped crying and looked around, suddenly happy but puzzled and said, to his despairing mother's surprise, 'coo.'"

Hao admired Kay's command of the story. She had everyone leaning in, waiting to see what would happen next. Yoh was right at the front of the group, clutching Simba, sitting right next to Bill. Anna opened her mouth to say something, but Hao indicated for silence. Kay knew they were there, she'd find an appropriate place to end story time.

"…And now Vimes paused in front of the cowering old dwarves, raising the weapons over his head and halted, rocking like a statue." With that Kay shut the book. "To be continued." There was a general protest from the listeners. "Sorry kiddies, but we have business to attend to today." They grumbled but filtered out, leaving just Kay and Alyss and Mari on the second floor, pretending to ignore what was going on.

Kay moved to sit down next to Yoh as Hao led Yoh's friends over. Hao sat down on Yoh's other side, seeing the tremble in his hands. "Ground rules?" Kay asked.

"Gone over already." Hao affirmed. Kay nodded her head in satisfaction. He caught Ren staring at Kay speculatively.

"Hey guys." Yoh said, smiling nervously.

"Dude, you okay?" Horohoro asked.

"No." Yoh said frankly. "But, I'm getting better."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked. Yoh looked down at his lap, petting Simba's head, clearly trying to reassure himself.

"I was terrified of everything when I was first here. I wasn't talking, jumping at shadows, couldn't stand even slightly loud noises without trying to hide somewhere." Yoh smiled wanly. "I've gotten quite a bit better, as you can see."

"So what's wrong with you?" Anna demanded peevishly.

"It's not a matter of something being wrong with him, he's not broken." Kay answered coolly. "Yoh has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, it's common in those who've suffered a traumatic experience."

"Sorry, who are you, exactly?" Ren asked.

"I'm Kay, I'm Yoh's psychiatrist." Hao was gratified to see Yoh's friends' jaws drop in surprise.

"But she's human!" Horohoro declared.

"Really, I hadn't noticed." Hao commented. "I put my trust in her and she's been a lifesaver with helping me understand how to help Yoh and why he did the things he did."

"Help Yoh? You?" Lyserg said scornfully.

"He's been very good to me." Yoh murmured. "He and Kay have helped me a lot."

"Why, if he wanted to help you so much, didn't he just let you go then?" Ryu pointed out. "You would have been better off with your friends and family."

"Debatable." Hao muttered. Kay gave him a sidelong glance and then swatted him over the head lightly.

"What Hao is trying to get across is the fact that Yoh was all but catatonic when we first got to him." Kay said. "He wasn't talking, and he certainly wasn't well enough to make a journey on his own."

"Not to mention I still had no idea where you were hiding so I couldn't have brought him myself." Hao added.

"I call bullshit." Horohoro said stubbornly. "Obviously Yoh's feeling better now, so why hasn't he come back? You're keeping him prisoner, admit it."

"Yoh has the freedom to leave whenever he chooses to." Hao answered.

"Then why hasn't he come back then?" Lyserg demanded. Finally Yoh spoke up.

"Because I haven't wanted to come back."


	33. Chapter 33

Star: I own nothing

"What?" Lyserg demanded, getting to his feet. "You see! He's been brainwashed." He said, his voice rising. Kay was on her feet, hand clenched in the collar of Lyserg's shirt, bringing his face to hers.

"We told you to keep your voice down and we meant it." She snarled. "If you can't follow the rules I will drag you out of here myself. Now, sit the fuck down and be quiet."

Lyserg gulped, backing away from her and sitting down, though he glared at Hao still. "Yeah, I'm not the one you should be scared of." Hao said. "She's the crazy one."

"I may be crazy, but you're the one who struck a deal with me, so what does that say about you?" Kay countered.

"I didn't say I wasn't crazy, but it's a different, not likely to bash someone in the head with a gardening hoe, kind of crazy." Hao said. Kay gave him a look.

"She what?" Horohoro squeaked.

"A man tried to hurt Opacho, I got to him first, end of story." Kay explained. "Let that be a warning to the rest of you, I'm not a kind person."

"Yes you are." Yoh protested.

"I'm nice to you, but that's because I actually like you." Kay said calmly.

"If we can get back on topic." Ren said. "Why don't you want to come back, Yoh?"

"Because I'm safe here." Yoh said, fiddling with Simba's tail. "Everyone knows my triggers and why they shouldn't touch me and avoid loud noises. Kay's my biggest support, with Hao as a close second. I go back with you and I lose that."

"Kay could come with us." Ryu pointed out.

"If I went, Alyss would have to come, and…" She looked up at the second floor, where Alyss had her arm around Mari's waist. "At this point I'd have to drag her hissing, clawing and biting, so it's probably best I stay."

"Biting?" Hao repeated.

"I blame Bri for that." Kay shrugged. It was nice to see her able to joke about Bri, even if she looked a little sad doing it. "In any case, someone has to keep him in line." She added, jerking her head at Hao.

"You're kidding me." Anna said. "You actually expect us to believe that Hao listens to a powerless human."

"Considering the last time I didn't heed her advice Opacho nearly got killed, I tend to take her seriously." Hao said. "She's also the only one who knows anything about dealing with issues of the mind. Without her I doubt Yoh would be as healthy as he is right now."

"And yet he says he's not okay." Ren pointed out.

"I'm not, not completely." Yoh said. "I probably will never be the same person I was and I'm always going to have things that are going to send me into panic-mode and all I can do is learn to cope with that."

"So your so-called psychiatrist isn't good enough to fix you?" Anna demanded.

"There is nothing to fix." Kay said through clenched teeth. "He is not some broken toy, he is a human being and his fears are legitimate. Fix him, you don't fix people, you help them. There's only a number of things that can be done to help with mental conditions, it's not like setting a broken bone, we don't understand fully how the mind works. All we can do is create a safe environment for him and let him decide when he's ready for things, however long that takes."

"You talked about touch as being something we can't do, why is that?" Ren asked, changing the subject. Kay looked at Yoh, who took a breath.

"It's a trigger for panic attacks. These days it only becomes a problem when I'm already stressed out, which means right now. But what happens if I am touched is I start to feel like there's something crawling in my skin. If it's really bad I'll start clawing at myself to make the feeling go away." He explained quietly. "That's why people have to ask before they touch me."

"Claw at yourself?" Horohoro asked, sounding horrified.

"Self-mutilation is not uncommon in victims of abuse and depression." Kay said.

"So he's weak." Anna scoffed. Kay turned her gaze on the younger girl and even Hao flinched back at the look of cold fury on her face.

"I held my sister as she died and then was able to walk away and make sure my other sister was alright. I shot a man who tried to rape us and a made a deal with probably the most dangerous man on the planet, threatening his life in the process. Tell me, do I sound weak to you?" She demanded. She stood then, lifting her pants to reveal scars that looked like claw marks on her thighs. "Sometimes the pain inside becomes too much to bear and the only way to relieve it is to let it out through physical pain. It makes the pain go away for a while." She sat down again. "Don't tell me I'm weak, I've survived the end of the world." She spat.

There was silence for a long moment. "Do you still do that?" Yoh asked softly.

"No, I think I've finally forgiven myself." She answered. Yoh patted her knee gently and she smiled at him, the coldness in her eyes melting.

"Wait, you said you made and deal, and threatened Hao? And you're not dead?" Ryu asked in disbelief.

"I get the feeling he found me amusing." Kay said drily.

"Intriguing." Hao corrected. "I hadn't met a human who knew who I was and yet tried to make a deal with me, while simultaneously threatening my life. You were an enigma to me."

"Why did you make a deal with him in the first place?" Ren asked.

"My sister was sick, dying, and I had no way of helping her. I'd promised to protect her, so I did the only thing I could." Kay shrugged. "I told him that if he allowed Alyss to die I would do my best to kill him."

"You would have died." Lyserg said frankly.

"Maybe so, but at that point, if Alyss had died I wouldn't have had anything else to live for anyways." Kay informed them calmly. They stared at her and she shrugged. "Hao told you I was crazy."

"How can you trust him, after all that he's put you through?" Lyserg demanded angrily. Kay cocked her head, considering him.

"That's an interesting question, because I'm not entirely sure when I started trusting him myself." She said. "I think it might have been around the time he started showing that he actually cared about Yoh's health, rather than 'fixing him'." She thought for a moment more. "I suppose when he started trusting me, I started trusting him."

"But how can you? After everything he's done?" Lyserg demanded.

"You've lost someone to him, haven't you?" Kay guessed. "I won't try to change your hatred, it would be a futile mission, but please respect my own opinion and the fact that I am, sometimes, rational and can make informed decisions. I don't forgive him for my family, I can never do that. But, he's shown me willingness to change and regret. Whether or not I choose to accept that is my business."

"All the people here who aren't shamans are here of their own free will." Yoh added. "Hao told them and made an apology too. Most I think stayed."

"Why?" Lyserg demanded.

"Because they are assured food, shelter and protection." Kay said. "Those are important. Some I think see it as the lesser of two evils, but there are those who genuinely don't care who Hao is anymore."

"Hm, Willy." Hao chuckled. The old man made a point to say hello and discuss the progress of the crops almost every time Hao saw him. Hao made a note to put him in charge of the agriculture around the place the first chance he got.

"Really, this is the best place for me right now." Yoh told his friends. "It's not that I don't trust you guys, but you're all very physical and I'm sorry, but I don't think you'd always be able to remember not to touch me, or make a lot of noise. I just, I have everything set up here, I have my routines, and they keep me calm for the most part, I don't think it's a good idea to try and change things."

"Especially not with the events of yesterday still hanging over your head." Kay added. "I'm sure Hao won't say no to visits." She gave Hao a look, and he rolled his eyes.

"I suppose I must." He groused. "They'd just stick around, trying to break down my wards anyways if I didn't say yes."

"I think that we should leave it alone." Ren said. "If Hao is willing to let us visit, we can agree on this. Yoh seems adamant about staying and I doubt they'd let him go without a fight anyways." There was rebellious muttering at this, but Ren glared them down. It seemed he'd taken up the mantle of leadership after Yoh had gone.

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	34. Chapter 34

Star: I own nothing

"There is one more thing I would like to discuss before you leave." Hao said. "We could speak over lunch." He suggested.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ren asked suspiciously.

"Alliances." Hao said simply. Ren looked intrigued by that. Kay had an expression on her face that suggested she wished she knew what he was planning. "But we'll talk more over lunch, I believe they're setting up outside because it's so nice."

Yoh's friends looked at Ren, who shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose we can stay for lunch." He said loftily.

"Kid, you don't do egotistical asshole as well as Hao, so quit trying." Alyss called from the second floor.

"Thank you for that Alyss." Hao said back.

"Hey, somebody's got to put you in your place." Alyss said.

"I thought she didn't like me?" Hao asked Kay.

"You put a gun in her hand, I think she's willing to like you then." Kay explained. "See, this is why I say if she wasn't my sister I would be concerned about her."

"I think you should be concerned about her anyways." Hao said.

"Probably. Weren't we going to lunch?" She reminded him.

"Yes, thank you." Hao stood up. "If you will all follow me." He and Kay flanked Yoh, keeping him walking ahead of his friends. Several blankets had been laid out on the grass and there were already a number of people sitting and eating. Ole Willy waved at Hao as they passed by and Hao waved in return. Ole Willy smiled and went back to his conversation with Bill.

When they sat down Opacho immediately climbed into Kay's lap and stole a couple pieces of apple from her. "You are a little monkey." Kay said, laughing.

"No, I'm an imp!" Opacho replied cheekily.

"Yes, you are." Kay agreed.

"Um, where's Amidamaru, by the way?" Yoh asked after a few minutes of silent eating. Yoh's friends looked at him.

"He disappeared with you." Horohoro said quietly.

"Which means he should be at the X-Laws' citadel of doom." Hao said. "Luchist!" He called. The tall man walked over. "Look after things here for a moment." He then popped away. It didn't take long to find the sealed spirit and he popped back. Kay gave him an annoyed look.

"You're like one part Nightcrawler, one part Professor X, with the personality of Magneto, it's weird." Alyss commented.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Hao said. Alyss sighed.

"Okay, we need to start a graphic novels section in the library and stock it with X-Men." She said.

"Anyways…" Hao said, removing the seal holding Amidamaru captive in the spirit tablet. The large samurai spirit immediately took form and Yoh launched himself on him with a happy cry. Kay and Alyss had identical looks of 'what the fuck' on their face as for them it looked like Yoh was hugging and babbling to thin air. Once Yoh had calmed down Amidamaru turned to Hao.

"Thank you." The spirit said. "From what I understand you've helped Yoh."

"Not me, it's Kay you ought to thank, she's done most of the work." Hao explained. "She can't see you."

"Will you pass on my thanks then?" Amidamaru asked. Hao nodded.

"Amidamaru says thanks, for helping Yoh."

"Well, you're welcome, I guess." Kay said, still looking completely baffled.

"Right, back to business." Hao said as Amidamaru settled in behind Yoh.

"Yes, you mentioned about an alliance?" Ren said.

"I was thinking we could work together, help each other out." Hao explained.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"Well, for starters, how many people have you got crammed wherever you're hiding?" Hao asked.

"It was up to a couple hundred when I was taken." Yoh said.

"I imagine there's not a lot of breathing space, and it's a bit of a chore getting food, isn't it?" Hao said.

"What's your point?" Horohoro asked.

"We have room, and food, to spare." Hao said. "We can take some of your people. Perhaps begin a trading alliance, as I'm sure wherever you are is capable of growing different things than us."

"We also have livestock, which I haven't seen here." Ryu said.

"Cows?" Hao asked. He got a nod in reply. "So you can make cheese and such, that would be good for us."

"So you want to set up trading, is there anything else?" Ren asked.

"You're perceptive, always have been." Hao complimented. "Yes, I've had an idea for a short time, but I don't have the manpower to really put it into play."

"Well, out with it!" Ren demanded.

"There's a lot of people left on the earth that are just wandering around, trying to survive without the skills needed in this world." Hao said. "I've been thinking of setting up a community, possibly somewhere across the ocean. Make a small town, have the people work the earth. Send a shaman along. It would help people see that they don't have to be afraid anymore, and hopefully prompt them to settle down and make similar communities."

"What about people who would just take advantage of others settling down in place and try to steal or kill?" Horohoro asked.

"We'd put wards in place, like what I have here. They repel anyone who means to harm or steal from this place." Hao said.

"That would make things considerably easier." Ren agreed. "So we take a bunch of our people, some of whom know how to farm and butcher and hunt and all that, and plant them somewhere as their own community. Would we do trading with them as well?"

"Of course." Hao replied. "In time I hope that we can create more communities like this, teach people how to live in respect of the natural world."

"Trust me, if they don't respect it after this year, there's something wrong with them." Kay said sarcastically. "It's a good idea in theory, we just have to see how it does in practice."

"We should discuss this further, but if we are missing for much longer, the others will start to worry." Horohoro interjected.

"You're probably right." Hao agreed. "You'll need to convince them of my ideas as well."

"True, that could take some time." Ren commented. "We'd best be on our way. We'll come back, say, a week from now?"

"That sounds reasonable." Hao said.

"You'll be alright?" Horohoro asked Yoh. Yoh smiled at them all.

"I'm alright, I've got what I need here." He said. "It'll be good to see you all again though." His friends said goodbye, Anna and Lyserg reluctantly, and left.

"So, what do you think?" Hao asked. "The dawn of a new world."

"Don't get cocky." Kay warned him. "There are any number of things that could go wrong with your idea."

"True, true, but let me be hopeful for now." Hao grinned. "Just think, someday we could be legends."

Kay chuckled and Yoh laughed at Hao. Hao laughed along with them. He was really happy now, and this was all that he needed. Yoh was getting stronger day by day and Hao had found a true friend in Kay, even if she would protest being called a friend. Destiny had it in for them all along, and Hao found he was pleased with the results.


	35. Chapter 35

Star: I own nothing

There is a rite of passage in every child's life that they must take before they become adults. The shaman of their community takes them, sometimes far, sometimes it's just close by. Sometimes it's in a forest, sometimes it's down by the sea or in the middle of a swamp, but no matter what they always see the same thing; struts of metals, columns of stone, rising out of the ground, towering over the trees, standing silent.

The metal is rusted now, falling apart in some places and sometimes when the wind picks up it groans. The structures are covered in vines and trees and other plants, and are home to birds and rodents and all manner of small animals.

The child will turn to the shaman and ask 'where did these things come from? Did the gods make them?' And the shaman will shake their head and sit down, preparing to tell a story. For a moment there would only be silence, as nature clamoured around them and then the shaman would speak.

The places were made by people, long ago, they would say. These people had many wondrous things, machines that could fly, buildings that touched the sky and they could even fly to the moon. There were as many people as there were grains of sand. But for all this wonderfulness the people forgot that we all must respect the earth and exploited it, slowly killing it with poisons and destroying every last bit of wilderness. They were even unkind to each other, always inventing new ways to hurt one another.

The god of the sun saw this and found the people to be too wicked for this. So he called down fire upon the earth and killed many of the people. Only a small number were left when he was done, but having a small amount of mercy he allowed them to live.

The people though did not know how to survive without their wonderful inventions, had too long not had to learn to hunt and plant food for themselves, that they very quickly became hungry and sick. They cried out to the gods for mercy, but the sun god had turned his face away in bitterness.

So it came to pass that two humans, sisters and wise women, made the perilous journey to the sun god's house, to beg for help for their people. The sun god merely laughed at their request and put them to work as servants in his house. Still the wise women tried, persisting in asking the sun god to help their people, but he would not.

Then the sun god's brother, the god of death, showed up on his doorstep, wounded severely in body and mind. Now, the god of death had turned his face away from his brother for destroying so many people, for the god of death is the kindest of all the gods, bringing us peace in our final moments of life. The god of death loves us humans dearly and so what his brother had done had saddened him greatly.

The sun god did not know how to make his brother well again, but the wise women had knowledge of healing and they helped the god of death become strong. They even helped the two brothers to reconcile. In joy the sun god agreed to help the humans.

He sent his people down to teach the humans how to live as one with the land, and granted power to some. Those were the first shamans, and the sun god bade them only to use their powers to help others, otherwise no more power would come to them. And so humanity began to thrive again.

For their help the two wise women were granted immortality, becoming our goddesses of wisdom and healing. The sun god and the god of death took up their place as co-rulers of the gods once more, for life and death go hand in hand. They watch over us still, making sure we are safe and good.

The shaman, having finished his tale, then asks the child why he told that story. The child would think, and sometimes would come to the right answer, which is that the tale is to remind them that nature is to be respected and that there are consequences for being destructive.

The end of the ritual comes with an offering to the gods and prayers for guidance as the child becomes an adult. The place is then left, as it always is, it is a sacred place after all, one of remembrance. The child may try to imagine the place as it once was, with so many people walking and living amongst the structures.

What the people might not know is that someone might be listening. What they do not know is that the original players of the story that is told around the world are greatly amused by what their tale has become in the years since they died. After all, it was even more stranger than any legend that came out of it.

THE END

So that's it then, hope you all enjoyed this one!


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